Torojoatngna

Torojoatngna ("the place below Joat" or "the place below snowy mountain")^[2] was a Tongva village located in what is now Claremont, California. The name of the village referred the place below Mount San Antonio as the place of snow.^[2] Archaeological investigations in the Claremont area have found evidence of village artifacts near the "Indian Hill" area of the city, located near the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens.^[2][3][4]

History

The Tongva had established villages in the area as early as 7000 B.C.^[1]

The land came under the influence of Spanish colonizers with the establishment and growth of Mission San Gabriel in 1771.^[1]

The First Mexican Republic secularized the missions in 1833, dissolving its lands into ranchos. Rancho San Jose was established in the area by 1837.^[1]

In 1870, the village was still active with over 200 residents, many of whom worked at local ranchos such as Spadra and Puente to survive.^[1] In 1873 however a smallpox outbreak ravaged the village and by 1883 it was noted that it had been abandoned.^[1]

The village site was recorded on a map published in the early twentieth century.^[1]

References