WHITTIER, Calif. — Whittier is home to a piece of California’s Black history that’s more than 170 years old.

Pío Pico State Historic Park welcomes guests inside the home of Pío Pico, an Afro-Mexican man who was the last governor of California before the state became part of the U.S. in 1850.

For four days a week, guides tell the story of the influential figure who lived in the area when it was Spain, then Mexico and then California. Pico’s nationality changed three times.

“He was a Spaniard, a Mexican and an American without ever leaving Southern California,” said park guide Kathi Atencio.

Pico was also a man of mixed race with African, Indigenous and Spanish ancestry.

Many people were Afro-Mexican in the 19th century, says Dr. Tamara Venit-Shelton, professor of history at Claremont McKenna College.

“Mexico abolished slavery a good 40-plus years before the United States,” Venit-Shelton said. “We hear a lot about the underground railroad and movement north up out of the American south, but in fact there was also movement south across the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Pico was a cattle rancher and businessman who built the Whittier home with the help of the Indigenous Tongva people after he became a rich man. He owned land all around Southern California, and many still carry his name, including Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles and the city Pico Rivera.

Pico’s prominence in the community led him to become the last governor of Alta, California.

Venit-Shelton says sharing the stories of Californians of Black ancestry is necessary today.

“Going back to the history of California and seeing it as a place that was multi-racial, that was polyglot, that was led by mixed-race people, led by Black people like Pío Pico, is a way of in fact reclaiming that history for the people who live in both Mexico and the United States today,” she said. “It’s important to be able to see your own roots and your own self reflected in history.”

Pío Pico State Historic park is open Thursdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.