Rancho La Tajauta
Mexican land grant in California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rancho Tajauta was a 3,560-acre (14.4 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California, given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Anastasio Avila.[1] The grant was named for the Gabrielino/Tongva place name of Tajáuta. The grant encompassed present-day Willowbrook and Watts.[2]
| Rancho La Tajauta | |
|---|---|
Rancho La Tajauta branding iron | |
 | |
| Town/City | Los Angeles, CA (Watts) Los Angeles County |
| State | California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°55′46″N 118°14′33″W |
| Established | 1843 |
| Owner | Anastasio Avila |
| Area | 3,560 acres (14.4 km2) |
| Status | Limited public access |
History
Anastasio Avila, one of the sons of Cornelio Avila, was alcalde of Los Angeles in 1819 – 1821, and granted one square league in 1843.
With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho La Tajauta was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852,[3][4] and the grant was patented to Anastasio's son Enrique Avila in 1873.[5] Rancho Tajauta was surveyed in 1858 by Henry Hancock, deputy United States surveyor, and the survey approved in 1860.[6]
The legacy of Rancho Tajauta survives in the name Tajauta Avenue in the Compton/Carson area.