Who was Juan Bautista de Anza?
Juan Bautista de Anza was born in July 1736, possibly at Fronteras but more likely at Cuquiarachi, Sonora, Mexico. Both his father and maternal grandfather had served Spain on the northern frontier of New Spain for the greater part of their lives. Anza joined the militia as a volunteer in late 1751. In 1754 he began his service in the presidial cavalry as a cadet under the tutelage of his brother-in-law, Captain Gabriel de Vildósola. He spent his first 25 years of military service in Sonora, defending the frontier of New Spain against various hostile Indian tribes, most notably the Apaches and Seris. Captivated by the idea of an overland connection between the Sonora frontier and the western frontier of New Spain in Baja California, he gained permission from the Viceroy to conduct an exploratory expedition in 1774. With success of the trek, Anza was awarded the position of Lieutenant Colonel and ordered to take colonists to find sites for a presidio and two missions at the harbor of Sa
