Native Peoples of Mission San Diego de Alcalá: The Kumeyaay

Kumeyaay: First People of Mission San Diego

The Kumeyaay (Diegueño) were the Indigenous inhabitants of the San Diego region when Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded in 1769.

Kumeyaay Territory & Life

• Range: San Diego County, Imperial Valley, northern Baja California.
• Subsistence: Acorns, agave, seeds, hunting (deer, rabbit), fishing, shellfish.
• Culture: Semi-nomadic bands; pottery, basketry, rock art; cosmology tied to land.

Mission Impact

• Forced relocation, labor, conversion.
• Introduced agriculture (wheat, corn, grapes, olives), livestock, European diseases.
• 1775 revolt: Kumeyaay burned mission; Father Jayme killed.
• Population collapsed: ~20,000 pre-contact → ~3,000 by 1800.

Today

12 Kumeyaay bands remain (reservations in San Diego County). Active language revitalization, cultural preservation, and co-management of ancestral lands (e.g., Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy).