Podcast Summary:

Todo Concostrina – Acontece que no es poco: “Nace el Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles sobre el Río de la Porciúncula”
Date: September 4, 2023
Host: Nieves Concostrina (A)
Co-host: Carlos (B)
Music Segment: (C)

Overview

This episode explores the curious and lengthy origins of Los Angeles’s name, diving into its Spanish colonial roots and the intricacies of mission establishment in California. Host Nieves Concostrina applies her signature irreverent, witty, and historical storytelling style to examine how “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río de Porciúncula” came to be, alongside broader reflections on naming conventions, Spanish colonization, and the missionary drive of the Franciscan friars—especially fray Junípero Serra.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Los Nombres “Singulares” de Pueblos

• Carlos introduces the theme by joking about peculiar Spanish town names (e.g., Meadero de la Reina, Sordillos, La Hija de Dios), hinting that Los Angeles’ original name may share a similarly imaginative or religious inspiration (01:01).
• Nieves remarks: “De verdad que hay algunos que poniendo nombres habría que meterlos en la cárcel directamente” (01:35), mockingly chiding the overzealous approach to naming.

2. ¿Por qué un nombre tan largo?

• Nieves explains that the original name—“El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de la Porciúncula”—reflects the heavy hand of missionaries, notably the Franciscans, who christened everything with religious titles (01:35–03:40).
• She jokes about the impracticality of the name for everyday use, especially for Americans:

  "Un yanqui ya te digo yo que no puede pronunciar Porciúncula ni en broma" (02:25).

3. La Fundación y los Fundadores de Los Ángeles

• On September 4, 1781, the Spanish governor Felipe de Neve established the settlement with 11 families.
• Curious fact: One original settler was from Cádiz—"un gaditano," possibly the source of the city’s eventual celebrity culture, Nieves jokes (02:55).
• The ethnic diversity of the first inhabitants is highlighted:

  “Eran, según el registro, dos mulatos, dos negros, un mestizo, cuatro indios, un criollo y el español de Cádiz” (04:37).

• Diligent records were kept, and all settlers had to be married:

  "Todos los colonos tenían que llegar casados para ponerse a la faena de poblar aquello" (04:48).

4. El Origen del Nombre “Porciúncula”

• The Franciscan friars named the nearby river “Porciúncula”—after a small chapel (“una capillita muy chiquitilla”) in Assisi, Italy, associated with St. Francis (05:41).
• “Porciúncula” means “pequeña porción de tierra” and is tied to St. Francis's foundational legend, which Nieves calls “una leyenda muy rentable, pero es una leyenda” (06:40).
• The river’s name is now “Los Angeles River”; no local calls it Porciúncula (07:18).

5. La Expulsión de los Jesuitas y la Toma de los Franciscanos

• After the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish territories for being too powerful (“se hacían los dueños de todo. Eran un estado dentro del Estado” - 07:38), the Franciscans took over missionary work along the Californian coast (07:24–08:20).

6. Fray Junípero Serra: El Impulsor de Misiones

• Serra, a Mallorcan friar, became the main Franciscan force behind the missions:
  • He traveled extensively—from Mallorca through Spain to Mexico (08:50–10:01).
  • Known for his relentless zeal, personified by Nieves as “ansia viva en esto de evangelizar” (10:19).
• The first mission on the U.S. west coast was San Diego, then others: San Luis, San Juan Capistrano, San Gabriel, etc., up to San Francisco (10:55–11:28).
• Total missions founded: 21 spanning about 1,000 kilometers, creating a chain to solidify the Spanish claim (11:33–11:37).
  • The method: “fundar una misión, poner el huevo en el sitio, dejar señal, esto es nuestro, de nadie más” (11:37).

7. Relaciones con los Nativos

• Nieves notes that while Junípero Serra is celebrated (statue in the U.S. Capitol), many Native Americans still protest his legacy due to the forced conversion and colonization (11:55–12:44).
• Quoting a contemporary chronicle about the founding of San Diego:

  "Para sujetar, fíjate, para sujetar al suave yugo de nuestra Santa Fe la barbaridad de los paganos que habitaban esta nueva California, levantó el venerable padre Junípero el estandarte de la Santa Cruz..." (12:53).

• Carlos wryly observes: “Yugo y suave. Es un poco contradictorio” (13:13).

8. Curiosidades Toponímicas: Los Ángeles vs. Bangkok

• Nieves points out that the 14-word original name of Los Angeles isn’t the only verbose city moniker. Bangkok’s full name in Thai has 21 words, but locals just call it “Krumtep”—which also means “City of the Angels” (14:18–14:37).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On colonial naming conventions:

  “Hay algunos que poniendo nombres habría que meterlos en la cárcel directamente.” (01:35) – Nieves

• On anglicized reduction:

  “Un yanqui ya te digo yo que no puede pronunciar Porciúncula ni en broma.” (02:25) – Nieves

• Describing settler diversity:

  “Eran...dos mulatos, dos negros, un mestizo, cuatro indios, un criollo y el español de Cádiz.” (04:37) – Nieves

• On missionary myth-making:

  “Es una leyenda muy rentable, pero es una leyenda.” (06:40) – Nieves (speaking about the Porciúncula relics)

• Jesuits as a shadow state:

  “Se hacían los dueños de todo. Eran un estado dentro del Estado.” (07:38) – Nieves

• Sarcastic contrast in religious conquest:

  “Yugo y suave. Es un poco contradictorio.” (13:13) – Carlos

• Toponymic coincidence:

  “Que por cierto, [Krumtep] significa Ciudad de los Ángeles. Mira tú, coincidencias toponímicas.” (14:37) – Nieves

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening banter and setting the theme: 00:24–01:35
• Origins and impracticality of Los Angeles's name: 01:35–03:43
• Diversity of the first settlers: 04:04–05:31
• Explanation of "Porciúncula": 05:31–07:24
• Jesuits expelled, Franciscans take over: 07:24–08:20
• Arrival and exploits of Junípero Serra: 08:20–10:01
• Chain of California missions: 10:55–11:28
• Impact on and from Native Americans: 11:55–13:13
• Comparison to Bangkok’s long name: 14:15–14:37

Conclusion

This witty and packed episode demystifies the religious, administrative, and cultural reasons behind the long original name of Los Angeles, situating its foundation within both Spanish colonial ambitions and the personal zeal of missionary friars—most notably Fray Junípero Serra. Nieves Concostrina’s humor and critical distance offers both entertainment and a challenging perspective on the “soft yoke” of faith that shaped California’s history.