1917 Map of San Juan Bautista

About this map

Mission San Juan Bautista anchors this survey of the valley floor and surrounding coastal ranges during the early twentieth century. The landscape is defined by its deep Spanish and Mexican heritage, evidenced by the vast land grants like Salsipuedes, Los Vergeles, and La Natividad that still structured local geography decades after their inception. The Southern Pacific railroad follows the Pajaro River through the Pajaro Gap, a critical transit corridor connecting the coastal plains near Watsonville to the interior valleys.