Spanish language in California

The Spanish language is the second-most commonly spoken language in California, after the English language, spoken by 28.18 percent (10,434,308) of the population (in 2021). Californian Spanish (español californiano) is a set of varieties of Spanish spoken in California, including the historical variety known as Californio Spanish (español californio).

Spanish was first introduced to California in 1542 and has since become deeply entwined with California's cultural landscape and history. Spanish was the official administrative language in California through the Spanish and Mexican periods until 1848, when Alta California was ceded from Mexico to the United States following the U.S. Conquest of California. Early American governments in California protected the rights of Spanish speakers in the 1849 Constitution of California, but those constitutional protections were removed in 1879.

As of 2010, 28.46% (9,696,638) of California residents age 5 and older spoke Spanish at home as a primary language. California has the second highest concentration of Spanish speakers in the United States. Hispanic students are the largest student demographic in public schools in California, making up the majority of student populations in nearly 40% of school districts. 21% of school students in California speak Spanish as their primary language.

Hispanic Californians make up the largest demographic group in California, accounting for nearly 40% of the population, or approximately 15,574,882 people.

The name of California has its origin in the Spanish epic Las sergas de Esplandián ("The Adventures of Esplandián"), written by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. In Las sergas de Esplandián, California is described as being an island kingdom of warrior women ruled by a queen known as Califia. The name was applied to the modern region of the Californias in the 1530s, initially just referring to Baja California (which is today part of Mexico), but later expanded to cover Alta California (today's U.S. state of California).

The spoken history of the Spanish language in California began in 1542, when the first expeditions of the Spanish Empire came to Alta California. While Spanish expeditions continued throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, permanent Spanish colonization was only solidified following the Portolá expedition in 1769–70, which ultimately led to the founding of Spanish settlements across California, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Expedition leader Gaspar de Portolá published his account of the voyage in Estracto de Noticias del Puerto de Monterrey, as did Spanish cartographer Miguel Costansó in his Diario Histórico de los Viages de Mar, y Tierra Hechos al Norte de la California, both published in 1770.

The creation of the Spanish missions in California led to the spread of the Spanish language into the lives of the Indigenous peoples of California which resided in the mission system. Franciscan missionaries served an important role in the proliferation of Spanish across communities in California, both through missionary-run education and through publishings of Franciscan padres, such as Francisco Palóu, who wrote various histories and essays on California, including his seminal Noticias de la Nueva California, written from 1767 to 1784.

In 1834, Agustín V. Zamorano became the first publisher in the history of California, opening a print shop in Monterey, mainly serving as the official press of the Mexican government in California. In 1835, Zamorano published the first book in the history of California, "Manifesto a la República Mejicana", written by Governor José Figueroa.