Age of Exploration     1541-1769

From "We Are The Land: A History of Native California" (Atkins, Bauer)

Time and again, Indigenous People reached out to Spanish and English sailor who arrived on their shores and invited them to their communities.  On October 7, 1541, Tongvas from the town of Najquqar, located on the island of Pimunga currenty Santa Catalina Island), saw Spanish ships at sea.  Ten Tongvas boarded a tomol an rowed out to meet the Spanish led by Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo. Antonio de Mendoza, the Vice Roy of New Spain, dispatched Cabrillo to explore the Pacific coast and look for trade opportunities or a route to China.  The Tongvas and Spanish exchanged "beads and other articles," and the Tongvas escorted the Spanish to the island.   Three days later, a fleet of Chumash tomols, carrying twelve or thirteen people each, left Muwu, a town near modern-day Oxnard, and sailed out to meet the Spanish .  The Spanish gave "presents" to the Chumash, who brought the newcomers ashore.   At the time, between three hundred and six hundrend Chumash lived at Muwu. Cabrillo described their houses as "large like those of New Spain." (P.38)

History of Spanish California
https://www.loc.gov/collections/california-first-person-narratives/articles-and-essays/early-california-history/spanish-california/