In 1769, the Spanish arrived and changed Kumeyaay way of life forever. Missionaries were only interested in converting the Kumeyaay and in using them as free labor to build missions. Within a decade, the demands by the Spanish became so intolerable, the Kumeyaay attacked the mission. There attempts failed and as a result many of them moved further east. Father Francisco Palou wrote in the Historical Memoirs of New California that the Indians of San Diego were arrogant, haughty, noisy, bold, intelligent, great traders, and thievish.
All men go naked and most are painted.
Women are covered in front with woven fibers and behind with the skins of aminals. They are all armed with bows and arrows. In 1769, when the Spanish came to San Deigo, estimates on the numbers of indians ranges from 10,000 to 20,000. In 1821, Mexico overthrew the Spanish government and seized all of the mission lands. Many of the Indians who had remained at the mission or lived nearby became slaves.