To commemorate Mexican Independence Day and California Latino Heritage Month, Monterey State Historic Park presents a free talk by archeologist Dr. Ruben Mendoza titled “On the Edge of Empire: Archaeology of the Spanish Royal Presidio and Missions of the Monterey Bay, 1995-2025.”

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, at 6pm in California’s First Theater to hear from this scholar who has been instrumental in uncovering Monterey County’s early history.

About the Talk

The program will detail the Spanish and Mexican heritage of the Monterey Bay, including the architectural histories of four local missions and the Spanish Royal Presidio of Monterey. Dr. Mendoza's archeological discoveries included the recovery of the 1797 chapel at Mission San Juan and the identification of 18 buried buildings at Mission Soledad.

All of Dr. Mendoza's findings shed new light on the cultural landscapes, architectural transformations, and contested spaces that defined life on the edge of empire.

About Dr. Ruben Mendoza

Dr. Ruben Mendoza is an archaeologist, writer, and photographer who has explored the length and breadth of Mexico, Central America, Europe, and the US Southwest documenting both pre-Columbian and Colonial era sites and collections.

A founding faculty member of CSUMB, Dr. Mendoza has directed major archaeological investigations and conservation projects at missions San Juan Bautista, San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, and Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, among others. Recent efforts at the Royal Presidio of Monterey resulted in the tandem discovery of the earliest Serra era Christian houses of worship in California dated to 1770 and 1771.

A charter member of the California Missions Foundation, his Mission Solstice Survey has resulted in the astronomically and liturgically significant discoveries of solstice, equinox, and feast day solar illuminations of mission church altars throughout California, the US Southwest, and Mesoamerica.