In the 1700s, explorers and missionaries built a chain of (1) in California. They wanted to convert Native Americans to (2) . When Mexico won its independence from (3) , California became a (4) in the new nation. Mexican settlers set up large estates called (5) . (6) worked on the ranchos. The owners, or (7) , treated them almost as (8) . In the 1840s, more Americans came to (9) . They were attracted by the mild (10) and the rich natural (11) . Many Americans thought that California should become a (12) . They wanted the United States to reach the (13) Ocean.