Historic California Posts: Fuerte de Laguna Chapala

Fort Romualdo Pacheco was built in an attempt by the Mexican government to reopen the de Anza trail between the Northern Mexico presidios and those in Alta California by way of the Yuma Crossing at the junction of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. The original opening of this trail has been discussed in the foregoing sections under the de Anza Expedition and the founding of San Francisco. The events that closed this trail for forty years occurred on Tuesday, July 17, 1781. The Yuma Native Americans on the west side of the Colorado River revolted against the settlement of the Spanish at two new locations at Concepcion and San Pablo de Bicuner in December 1780 and January 1781 respectively. The new settlers insulted the Yumas and had much of their best river bottomlands confiscated by the new intruders. On this Tuesday, the Yumas attacked without warning and destroyed the new settlements and killed the priests and many of the villagers and soldiers. At this very time the expedition from Mexico of Fernando Rivera y Moncada, Lieutenant Governor of Baja California, was passing through the Yuma crossing on its way north to found the Presidio of Santa Barbara. The majority of the expedition cleared the area but Moncada and the cattle and some soldiers remained on the east side of the Colorado River. Moncada and his soldiers were killed in the ensuing battles. A party of soldiers from San Gabriel Mission who had arrived to aid Moncada in the original expedition was also killed. In order to verify the news of the Yuma massacre, two soldiers were dispatched from Altar, Mexico to the Colorado, and they were either killed or captured.