“It is no exaggeration to claim that the Catalan Volunteers deserve credit for the success of the first forays into California”. (1)

The Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia, Compañía Franca de Voluntarios de Cataluña (Spanish) or simply Catalan Volunteers were military volunteers serving the Spanish crown in the “New World” colonies in New Spain (which later became Mexico and parts of the Southwest United States) from 1767-1815. King Carlos III recruited volunteers to deal with the dual New-World problems of uprisings by the Native Americans (namely Seri, Pima, Yuma and Apache) in Sonora and potential incursions by foreign powers like Russia, England and France in Alta California (today’s United States).

Some of the volunteers joined Gaspar de Portolà in his expedition to explore Alta California by land from 1769-1770. Their job was to explore, create a post in Monterey and to settle/develop the area. Later on the volunteers and their successors would be available to help secure the religious missions, civilian pueblos from their presidios (military forts).

What made these men serve for years and risk their lives traveling to the edge of the known world? I simply cannot imagine being compelled to so. Was it really a choice – were they really volunteering? Surely there was honor and perhaps title in it for the successful few. But many would not return to Spain and others would not survive even a year of travel, battles, disease and other hardships. Perhaps rather than modern-day volunteers or enlisted men and women, this group was a rather elite group – the most skilled and best suited for the job.

The Catalan Volunteers … held themselves to the highest standards of military performance, hygiene, dress, behavior and ethics. (1)

The Villa de Branciforte was supposed to be a sort of retirement town for the volunteers. Located in the modern city of Santa Cruz, CA – across the river from the mission, the villa never quite lived up the plans and the volunteers instead dispersed among the other settlements in California.

See also: “The Catalans who conquered California” (El Pais) Feb 2020

References:

1. McDonnell, Jeanne Farr. Juana Briones of 19th Century California. The University of Arizona Press. 2008. p 36.