Early Zaferia
The Zaferia village of the early 1900s was one of the last vestiges of the old Californio days of the Ranchos in Los Angeles County. Situated in what would have been a high valley between Rancho Los Alamitos’ adobe farmhouse property and the imposing peak of Signal Hill, Zaferia was a sleepy enclave where Bixby Ranch laborers lived and held small truck farms. These mostly Mexican families worked on the Rancho for the Bixby family in various capacities; they leased land from Fred Bixby in the fields surrounding the rancho, which included what they called Zaferia. Bixby would buy their produce and crops from them if they wanted, but they were never obligated to sell to him.