Bahía de los Pinos: Paintings of the Monterey Peninsula

Monterey Bay’s recorded history began when Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo entered its waters during a northward coastal expedition. Long before this, the Rumsen Ohlone people had been living around the Monterey Bay for centuries, hunting, fishing, and gathering food from the rich coastal area. Their villages dotted the region, including Ichxenta at Point Lobos and Rumsien near present-day Carmel. Cabrillo became the first European to enter the bay in 1542, naming it Bahía de los Pinos after the pine forests he saw along the shore. These paintings are all oil paintings, most of which were painted on location.