The Esselen are Indigenous to the Santa Lucia Mountains south of the Big Sur River. Before the Spanish arrived they lived seasonally on the coast and inland, eating seafood in summer and acorns and game the rest of the year.
Experts estimate 500 to 1,285 people lived in this steep, rocky country, one of the smallest populations in California. Their closest village territory to Carmel Mission was Excelen, about ten miles away. Many Esselen were taken to work at three nearby missions, including San Carlos.
Esselen children were baptized and families moved to the missions, where they learned reading, writing and trades, and where they were required to labor at the three nearby missions of San Carlos, Soledad and San Antonio de Padua. Descendants and tribes continue to work for recognition and to keep language and culture.