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Montebello
is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the
southwestern part of the San Gabriel Valley. It is located on 8.4 sq mi
(22 km2) of land just 8 mi (13 km) east of downtown Los Angeles. It is
considered part of the Gateway Cities, and the city is a member of the
Gateway Cities Council of Governments. The name, Montebello, means
“Beautiful mountain” in both Italian and ...Spanish.
In the early 20th century, Montebello was a well-known source for oil
reserves. The population was 62,500 at the 2010 census; according to the
California Department of Finance, the estimated population of
Montebello on January 1, 2011, was 62,789.HistoryBefore the arrival of
the Spaniards, the land along the Rio Hondo River was populated by the
Tongva (Gabrielino) part of the Uto-Aztecan family Native Americans. The
Tongva occupied much of the Los Angeles basin and the islands of Santa
Catalina, San Nicolas, San Clemente and Santa Barbara. When the Spanish
explorer Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo arrived off the shores of Santa
Catalina, the Tongva came out in their canoes to meet with him in 1542.
The language of the Tongva was different from the neighboring Indian
tribes and it was called Gabrielino by the Spanish. The Gabrielinos
lived in dome-like structures with thatched exteriors. Both sexes wore
long hair styles and tattooed their bodies. During warm weather the men
wore little clothing, but the women would wear minimal skirts made of
animal hides. During the cold weather they would wear animal skin capes.
European diseases killed many of the Tongva and by 1870 the area had
few remaining native inhabitants.See More
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