Katy Perry claimed that California has always belonged to Mexico. That’s not quite right

Katy Perry claimed on her Instagram page that California has always belonged to Mexico and is another example of U.S. racism and bigotry.

That’s not quite right. Prior to the Spanish arrival in 1542 , there were more than 100 different tribes inhabiting modern-day California .

The population of California in 1800 was approximately 300,000 — almost all natives — essentially the same as it had been for centuries .

By 1848 , however, it had dropped to half of that due to disease.

Julian Zelizer : If it were truly the case that California belonged to the people who lived there previously, it most certainly wouldn’t be Mexicans .

When California became a state, there were very few Mexicans living there, and 50 years later , that had not changed.

The reality is, Californians of Mexican heritage not only have no more claim on California than anyone else, they actually have much less than white and Asian families that go back to the 19th century .