Ancestral Lands
Of the Indigenous Mutsun Tribe
Our Homeland
The indigenous Mutsun people inhabited California’s Central Coast for over 6,000 years. From the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Big Sur coast, north to the Santa Cruz Mountains, east to the Salinas Valley, our ancestors thrived and gardened this region calling it this Popeloutchom.
Our ancestral lands included a variety of ecosystems – from valley meadows with ancient oaks, rolling grasslands, mixed evergreen redwood forests, miles of sand dunes, and rugged cliff coastlines. Many species of plants and animals thrived in these habitats and provided an abundance of food and resources for our ancestors.