El presente trabajo estudia el español de California en el siglo XIX desde la perspectiva de la sociolingüística histórica. A partir del análisis de testimonios de Pío Pico, se analizan tanto la historia externa y la historia interna del dialecto del español de Los Ángeles como las presiones sociales en torno al choque entre el inglés y el español que, en 1847, estaba a punto de suceder con motivo del Tratado de Guadalupe-Hidalgo.

How was Spanish in California silenced? Which were the sociolinguistic decisions that forced Spanish into a secondary place in the history of California? This paper discusses, using contemporary sources, how the linguistics situation in California changed from politically protected bilingualism to strict monolingualism in the nineteenth century, and which were the sociolinguistic consequences for Spanish speakers.

Bilingual education is not a recent issue in California. From the very beginning of the cultural encounter among Spanish and English speakers, we can find information in the newspapers about the situation. I will use 19^th century articles from the Los AngelesTimes and El Clamor Público to present different sides of the confrontation. I will also useschool advertisements in order to understand which were the real educational options in Los Angeles in the middle of the 19^th century.