This project honors the erased and forgotten histories of early Californio families—particularly those descended from the Portolá and Rivera y Moncada expeditions. Through documents, storytelling, and lived experience, we reclaim our place in California’s past and future.

Theresa Avila Bimbela is a direct descendant of Juan Francisco Reyes, María Luisa Domínguez, José Maximo Alanís y López, and many others who helped settle and build early California. The goal is to preserve legacy with truth and accountability—especially when it comes to the histories of Native communities whose lands and labor made this society possible. These communities, along with many of our ancestors, were exploited and then erased. That cycle of displacement, exclusion, and historical erasure continues today. We believe that honoring our ancestors means confronting these truths, acknowledging the harm and the contributions, and actively working to shift the narrative toward justice and visibility.

You may be descended from these families, too.
If you are part of the Reyes, Domínguez, Alanís, Olivera, Briones, or Bégué lines—please reach out. Let’s document this legacy together.

• Ana Bégué de Packman’s Preservation Legacy 
• Reyes Adobe Historical Site 
• BlackPast.org: Juan Francisco Reyes 

Books for Youth and General Audiences

• Alta California 1769: The Portolá Expedition, David L. Farebrother: A detailed day-by-day account of the Portolá journey, complete with maps and photographs. Great for middle school and up. Amazon
• Portolá: A Historical Fiction About the Portolá Expedition, Logan Stover: A fictionalized narrative that brings the 1769 expedition to life. Ideal for young adult readers. Amazon

Reyes Adobe Historical Site & Reyes Adobe Days

Celebrates the legacy of the Reyes family with events, reenactments, and public history displays in Agoura Hills.

reyesadobedays.org

Camino de California invites pilgrims on a spiritual journey along the historic California Camino Real, reconnecting hearts, minds, and souls through the state’s mission trail. Inspired by the centuries-old pilgrimage traditions and modeled after the Camino de Santiago in Spain, this initiative revitalizes the sacred path once walked by Franciscan missionaries such as Junípero Serra. Each year, pilgrims traverse the route connecting the 21 California missions, combining prayer, reflection, community building, and cultural remembrance. Along the way they encounter living history, experience Eucharistic processions, and honor the legacy of California's diverse peoples. For more information: https://www.caminodecalifornia.org/

Future Plans

We envision eventually expanding this work through a nonprofit dedicated to reclaiming and sharing erased histories. Our goals include digitizing family artifacts, making resources openly accessible, writing books, offering scholarships, and applying for grants that uplift underrepresented voices. We aim to partner with institutions to support redress, historical recognition, and curriculum inclusion. From youth-facing materials to community events, we are building a legacy that honors the past and shapes the future—the sky is the limit.