"Our city's links with Asia are deep and old-as old as the city itself. Our region's first residents were Asian immigrants, most likely from Siberia. In 1781, a Spanish subject of Pilipino heritage, Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, joined 43 other pobladores to trek to the area that became El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora, la Reina de los Angeles."
-Eric Garcetti, "Our Pacific Destiny"

Long before Los Angeles became synonymous with the word "multiethnic," the Californian megalopolis had already been multiethnic from its very first encampment in 1781.

Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, a fifty year old Pilipino, along with forty-three individuals were sent by the Spanish government from Mexico, to establish what is now known as the city of Los Angeles in 1781. He was a poblador (meaning settler) and traveled with his eleven- year old daughter Juana Maria. He began the expedition to Los Angeles with other pobladores, but had to delay his plans when his daughter became sick with smallpox. They remained in Baja, California for an extended time to recuperate. Antonio Miranda Rodriguez's name does appear in the first and second census for Los Angeles but in 1783 his name was dropped and his allotment was re-assigned to someone else.   His daughter eventually died of her illness before he arrived in Los Angeles.   Upon arriving in Los Angeles, he was informed that the presidio (a military post and Spanish settlement) in Santa Barbara wanted a man of his skills.