African Californios: Uncovering the African past of Spanish and Mexican California using Data Science Methods

Cameron Jones, Evan Witulski, Foaad Khosmood

Abstract: We use data science methods to examine Colonial Spanish records to analyze the extent of the presence of Afro-descendants in early California. This has been difficult to examine because most Californians of African descent elided their origins in sacramental church records referring to themselves as "gente de razón" or people of reason.