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Section 5 the ethnographic evidence, the Gabrielino territory included the Coastal plain of Los Angeles and Orange Counties extending frorn Topanga Canyon in the north to Aliso Creek in the south, and eastward of Mount Rubidoux in Western Riverside County, Their territory also included Santa Catalina, Sari Clemente, and San Nicolas Islands, Unfortunately, the Gabrielino are one of the least documented of the native peoples of California because they were one of the first groups to suffer the effects of foreign diseases brought by the Spanish and the subsequent migration of foreigners who arrived in the region. Gabrielino territory occupied one of the richest environmental habitats in all of California, The territory included four macro-environments: the Interior Mountains/Adjacent Foothills, the Prairie, the Exposed Coast, and the Sheltered Coast. These diverse macro-environments, and the resources contained within each, enabled the Gabrielino to develop one of the most complex cultures of any of the native California groups, The abundance of resources provided many opportunities for the Gabrielino to exploit native plants and animals. This, in turn, allowed the population to settle in small villages throughout the territory. Permanent villages evolved in resource-rich areas near rivers, streams, and along the coast. Secondary, or sateltlite, villages were also established nearby. History The major historic periods, as defined below, for the greater Southern California area are defined! by key events documented by participants, witnesses, historians, and cartographers, • Spanish Period (117691822) • Mexican Period (1822-1848) • American Period (1848—Present) Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo made a temporary landfall at the Chumash village of Sisolop (present-day Ventura) on October 12, 1542. He was the first of several early expiorers, representing several nations, to explore what is referred to as the Alta California coast. The end of the prehistoric era in Southern California was marked by the arrival of the Gaspar de Portiola overland expedition from New Spain (Mexico) and the founding of the first Spanish settlement at San Diego on July 16, 1769, With the onset of the Spanish Period, the Gabrielino first came into direct contact with Europeans when the Portola expedition passed through the San Gabriel Valley where the expedition camped briefly as they continued west toward Ventura- During this period 21 Franciscan missions were established. The missions were charged with administering to the natives within their areas, but failed to give the Native Americans the skills needed to survive in their rapidly changing world. The population was eventually fr Mid Basin Centennial Park Ai&246 Project Final EIR 5-65