La Señora Research Institute is a small research institute located in Los Angeles, dedicated to a developing model of local history research, cultural landscape interpretation and community education in southern California through community partnerships. We bring people and projects together. For a small organization led mostly by volunteers, we have achieved a lot but we have more to do!

Our main focus is on research and education. It begins with our scholars as we document the Rancho Era of Early California under Spain, Mexico, and the United States, especially as it relates to the 1839 Mexican Land Grant Rancho Boca de Santa Monica, where our José Mojica Hacienda and the Pascual Marquez Family Cemetery are located. Equally important to the preservation of historic records is the preservation of the Rancho’s rich cultural heritage with its typically Mexican “Welcoming Traditions”. From the beginning, the Rancho’s canyon grounds were freely visited by anyone seeking tranquility under its sheltering trees and ocean breezes.

Founded in 2005, our original concern was primarily with the history of the land, which once made up the Mexican land-grant Rancho Boca de Santa Monica in Los Angeles County.  This is where our base, the historic José Mojica Hacienda and the site of one of our earliest projects,  the Pascual Marquez Family Cemetery, are located.

However our interests and commitments have gradually expanded to support a wider variety of projects and a distinctive approach to community collaborations,  as well as our original focus, and we try to maintain the Casa Mojica and its lovely gardens as a regular center of warm hospitality,  good conversation and lively small musical events respecting long local traditions of this place from its earlier history as the site of Comicraibit, a village of the Tongva people, from the local rancho traditions and from the later salon traditions of this special place, Santa  Monica Canyon Community  Education.

Our primary support is through memberships and volunteer work, so please consider joining us.  Volunteers automatically become members, but by joining, you also support our volunteers even if you can’t donate your own time, and of course, you receive special access to events and  talks .