Spanish language in California

The Spanish language is the most commonly spoken language in California after the English language, spoken by 28.18 percent (10,434,308) of the population (in 2021). Californian Spanish (español californiano) is a set of varieties of Spanish spoken in California, including the historical variety known as Californio Spanish (español californio).

The Constitution of California was written in both Spanish (left) and English (right) in 1849.

Spanish was first introduced to California in 1542 and has since become deeply entwined with California's cultural landscape and history. Spanish was the official administrative language in California through the Spanish and Mexican periods until 1848, when Alta California was ceded from Mexico to the United States following the U.S. Conquest of California. Early American governments in California protected the rights of Spanish speakers in the 1849 Constitution of California, but those constitutional protections were removed in 1879.

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