Serrano People - History

History

Members of the Serrano tribe are part of the Takic subset of the large Uto-Aztecan group of Native Americans. The language family historically extended along the West Coast, into the Great Basin and into Mexico, with representation among tribes in Mesoamerica. They were a branch of the Takic languages speaking people who arrived in Southern California around 2,500 years ago. Serrano means "highlander" or "mountaineer" in Spanish. When the Spanish missionaries came into the region, in the late 18th century they helped create the tribal name Serrano, distinguishing the people from neighboring tribes who were designated as the Tongva (Gabrileño—Fernandeño) to the northwest, and Kitanemuk and Tataviam to the north.

The Spanish founded Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in 1771, below the southern side of the San Gabriel Mountains. With the Cahuilla and Quechan tribes, in 1812 the Serrano revolted against that and other local missions.

In 1834 the Spanish forcibly relocated many Serrano to the missions. They suffered devastating smallpox outbreaks in 1840 and 1860, as they had no immunity to the Eurasian disease. In 1875 the United States established a reservation for them.