1735?-1788

Spanish military leader who headed several exploratory expeditions through northern Mexico and California. In 1774 Anza established an overland route connecting Sonora in northern Mexico to Monterey in California. Two years later Anza headed another expedition with colonists and their cattle that led to the establishment of the city of San Francisco in 1776. Later as Governor of New Mexico, Anza brokered peace agreements between colonists and several tribes in the area.