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East County News Service
January 24, 2026 (Spring Valley) — The Spring Valley Historical Society will host noted historian and archaeologist Richard Carrico on Saturday, February 7, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., for a special presentation and book signing celebrating his newest work, El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City.
Carrico’s book explores the buried history of El Presidio de San Diego, Spain’s first colonial settlement in Alta California and the original birthplace of San Diego. Drawing on decades of archaeological research at Presidio Hill, Carrico brings to life the daily experiences of the site’s diverse inhabitants—Spanish settlers, Mexican residents, and the Kumeyaay Native American people—through artifacts, excavation findings, and historical records.
Often overshadowed by the later Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the Presidio served as the region’s first fort, mission, and government center beginning in 1769. Carrico’s work reveals how the settlement functioned, what its residents ate, how they lived, and how cultures intersected during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Richard Carrico is widely respected for his commitment to public history and for ensuring that the stories of the Kumeyaay people are central to the narrative of San Diego’s founding. He directed major excavations at Presidio Hill and has spent much of his career educating the public about Southern California’s earliest communities.
Following the presentation, Carrico will sign copies of El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City, published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press.
The event is open to the public and is hosted by the Spring Valley Historical Society.
Event Details:
Who: Richard Carrico, historian and archaeologist
What: Author talk and book signing
When: Saturday, February 7, 2026, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Where: Spring Valley Historical Society
Book: El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City
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