In the mid-Spanish Colonial Period to the American takeover of Alta California the Kumeyaay people negotiated a cultural and physical landscape that seemed to be in constant flux. They witnessed the political storm clouds that led to the Mexican Revolution, the secularization of Mission San Diego, the abandonment of the San Diego Presidio, and gradual shift to an “American” San Diego. Amongst this turmoil the Kumeyaay slowly recovered from the early onslaught of European diseases and epidemics. They gradually abandoned the coastal plain and sought refuge in the interior. Some became vaqueros and sheepherders, others worked in fields both on their own land and on lands taken from them. And, of course, some avoided as much contact as they could with the Californios and Americanos. This presentation will tells the story of cultural adaptation, cultural persistence, and native resistance. Be prepared to learn more about this fascinating and sometimes troubling period of San Diego history–it is a story that is still emerging from the shadowy corners of our collective past.