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Richard Griswold def Castillo

The del Valle Family

and the Fantasy Heritage

In 1949 Carey McWilliams first used the term "Fan- Nestled in the Santa Clara river valley near present
tasy Heritage" to describe the Anglo-American's day Oxnard and Ventura, Rancho Camulos in the
propensity to romanticize and mythify the white 188o's, seemed to fit a romantic stereotype. Helen
European, Spanish presence in the American Hunt Jackson, the famous author of Ramona, visited
Southwest. 1 Mc Williams felt that the most damaging this spot on January 23, 1883, at the suggestion of
consequence of this heritage had been to rob the mes- Antonio Coronel, an aging Los Angeles politico. He
tizos and Indians of their rightful historical impor- told Mrs. Jackson that the best example of early
tance. He wrote, "Los Angeles is merely one of California life was to be found there. She stayed for
many cities in the borderlands which has fed itself on about four hours and came away with enough
a false mythology for so long that it has become a impressions to accurately represent the ranch house
well-fattened paradox" . 2 He cited as examples of this and surrounding countryside in her novel. Later she
paradox numerous civic celebrations where Anglo- wrote, " ... it was a most interesting place, and the
Americans eagerly identified with a pseudo-Spanish daughters, cousins and sons all as Mexican and un-
past while ignoring the Mexican-American barrios American as heart could wish. " 4 None of the elder
and colonias in their midst. del Valles were home when Mrs. Jackson visited and
The blame for the creation of the Fantasy Heritage so she probably saw mostly Indians, mestizos and
can be equally distributed among historians, dark skinned relatives of the family. In her notes she
novelists, real estate promoters, politicians and jour- called these people "Mexicans", not Californios.
nalists. Less well understood is the role that the From Camulos Mrs. Jackson traveled to San
California landed classes and their descendants Diego and, after a brief stay, to New York City
played in the development of this myth. The where she wrote the book that she hoped would save
Californios were wealthy families who had been the remaining California mission Indians from ex-
given large grants ofland by the Spanish and Mexi- tinction. A year after the book appeared in 1884, she
can governments. They considered themselves died of cancer and so did not live to witness its
"Spanish" but in reality they were almost all mes- phenomenal success. Ramona eventually went
tizos, having a mixed cultural and racial heritage. 3
Under the Americans they lost their lands to lawyers, Richard Griswold de! Castillo is an Associate Professor of Mexi-
squatters and tax collectors. This article is about one can American Studies at San Diego State University and chair of
the Department of Mexican American Studies. He is author of
California family, the del Valles, owners of Rancho
the book The Los Angeles Barrio, 1850-1890: A Social History
Camulos and the role they played in popularizing a (University of California Press, 15)80) and numerous articles on
Fantasy Heritage in Southern California. the nineteenth century history of the Mexican American.

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