January 13, 1847
The Treaty of Cahuenga (also called the “Capitulation of Cahuenga”) ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in Alta California in 1847. It was not a formal treaty between nations but an informal agreement between rival military forces in which the Californios ( descendant of a person of Spanish ancestry who was born in what is now California when the region was under Spanish and later Mexican control) gave up fighting. The treaty was drafted in English and Spanish in what is now North Hollywood. The treaty called for the Californios to give up their artillery, and provided that all prisoners from both sides be immediately freed. Those Californios who promised not to again take up arms during the war and to obey the laws and regulations of the United States, were allowed to return to their homes and ranchos. They were to be allowed the same rights and privileges as were allowed to citizens of the United States, and were not to be compelled to take an oath of allegiance until a treaty of peace was signed between the United States and Mexico, and were given the privilege of leaving the country if they wished to do so.
