Explain how Mexican independence in 1821 changed California's government and identity, connecting it to the secularization and rancho system already studied.
In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain after a long war, and California -- until then a Spanish territory -- became a province of Mexico instead, known as Alta California. The change was mostly political at first: Mexican governors, based in the capital at Monterey (the same capital city used under Spanish rule), now ran California's government instead of Spanish officials. Over the next decade, Mexican rule brought the secularization of the missions you studied last week, along with the rise of the rancho economy and growing Californio identity -- families who saw themselves as Mexican Californians, distinct from both Spain and, later, the United States.
Mexican California also became more connected to the wider world during this period. Yankee trading ships, described in week 15's cattle-hide trade, visited California ports regularly, and small numbers of American settlers, including a Swiss-born immigrant named John Sutter, began arriving in the 1840s and building their own settlements inside Mexican territory. That growing American presence set the stage for a major change coming soon: within twenty-five years of Mexican independence, California would change hands again.
Mastery looks like: They can state that California became Mexican territory in 1821, keeping Monterey as its capital, and connect this to secularization and the rancho era.
Common stumbles: Confusing Mexican independence (1821) with later events like the Gold Rush; forgetting Monterey stayed the capital under Mexican rule.