The time period between 1780 and the mid- 1800s in California became known as the rancho period. Prior to Mexican Independence in 1821 and, later, the addition of California to the United States, the Spanish and Mexicans of Spanish descent controlled large portions of California. In his article “Ranch and Mission Days in Alta California,” published in The Century Magazine in December 1890, Guadalupe Vallejo recalls what California was like during the rancho period. Vallejo, who came from a prominent family of Spanish leaders and landowners that included his famous uncle General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1807–1890), reminisces about the importance of family life, the church, and the growth and success of the Roman Catholic missions throughout California. Vallejo recalls that life during this period was pleasant and satisfying, at least for wealthy Spanish settlers, until the arrival of white American settlers.