San Diego , California ( pronounced / sae’ n ‘de ‘ egg’ o /) : is a semi-coastal Southern city in California located in the south-western corner of the continental United States. 2006, the city’s population was estimated to be 1,256,952. It is the 2nd largest city in California and the 8th largest city in the United States of America by population. Colonial period – This area had long since been inhabited by the Kumeyaay indians. The first European to explore the area was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. A long resident of Spanish America Cabrillo was employed by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza to explore California’s interior regions. In 1542, Rodriquez Cabrillo explored and self-named what is now known as San Diego, San Miguel. The area of San Diego California bay and the present-day interior San Diego were renamed 60 years later by Sebastián Vizcaíno, while amidst mapping the coastline of Alta- California for Spain in 1602. Explorers under Sebastián Vizcaíno staged near a Native American camp called Nipaguay and honored mass in celebration of San Diego de Alcala (Saint Didacus of Alcalá). California was, at the time ,part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain commissioned under the Audiencia of Guadalajara.
The fort would also see use as the Capital of all Baja California during Mexican Authority. Eventually the fort and mission were abandoned as settlers continued to move further inland to the city of Old Town, San Diego. George Marston a San Diego businessman purchased Presidio Hill, and built a private park and Serra mission museum in 1907. Ultimatley Marston donated all of the property to the City of San Diego. No original historic buildings still exist.