Moraga Historical Society Coat of Arms

Our Mission

The Moraga Historical Society was estabished in 1965 to gather and preserve knowledge about the history of the land grant Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, land now occupied by the town of Moraga  and portions of the cities of Orinda and Lafayette.

The Rancho was a land grant of 13,316 acres which was awarded to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal, by the Mexican government in 1841. Moraga was the great-grandson of Jose Joaquin Moraga, who was second in command in the De Anza expedition, and was also noted as the founder of the San Francisco Presidio.

The Moraga History Center, located in the Moraga Library building, contains our collection of artifacts, photos, books and vertical files about the town of Moraga. The Society is a volunteer organization. General meetings, held four or five times annually, feature speakers or programs of local historical interest.

Romerias, held  annually, offer tours to historical places in the Bay Area.

The Society has published a hardcover book, Moraga’s Pride, which covers the history of the Rancho.

The Moraga Historical Society crest, above the wreath, consists of gold horns with a single green clover and a gold helmet with a green and gold twisted wreath. The shield has a gold field with a green mulberry tree (Mora means mulberry in Spanish) and is surrounded by a silver border decorated with ermine tails. Two gold streamers (banderoles) decorate the lower part of the coat of arms. The colors gold and silver represent the metal weapons used in battle; green represents the symbol of freedom, beauty, joy, health and hope.