The Temecula Massacre

The Untold Story of the Temecula Massacre—Native History Reclaimed from the Land Itself

The Temecula Massacre: A Forgotten Battlefield Landscape of the Mexican-American War unveils a hidden chapter of Native American and California history—told through the voices and research of those closest to it. Co-authored by Gary DuBois, a descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, and Lisa Woodward, a cultural researcher working in collaboration with the Pechanga community, this book reveals knowledge and oral histories never before shared publicly.

In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, the Temecula Massacre became one of the deadliest and most misunderstood conflicts in early California. While the Battle of San Pasqual is often remembered as the war’s bloodiest encounter, the Temecula Massacre claimed four times as many Native lives—and yet remained absent from the historical record for generations. Through rigorous fieldwork, archival research, and Native oral testimony, DuBois and Woodward restore the full story to its rightful place in history.

Inside this groundbreaking book:

• Firsthand Tribal testimonies and Native accounts never before published

• A detailed timeline of the 1846–1847 events surrounding the massacre

• Maps and aerial imagery tracing the battle sites and troop movements

• A glossary of ‘Atáaxum (Luiseño) words with phonetic pronunciation

• A QR code linking to the accompanying documentary film — The Temecula Massacre, now available to watch on YouTube

Today, the Temecula Indian Cemetery remains one of the last living witnesses to this tragic event—a sacred place that connects the present-day Pechanga community to its ancestors. This book not only reclaims a forgotten story but also honors the resilience, culture, and truth of Native California.

Published by Great Oak Press — an Indigenous-led publisher sharing collections of poetry, artwork, and essays rooted in the lands now known as Southern California.

Written with deep respect and collaboration, The Temecula Massacre offers Indigenous history and insight found nowhere else.

 Gary is the Founding Director of the Pechanga Band of Indians, Cultural Resources Department and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Tribe. DuBois earned a Juris Doctorate from Washington University Law School. He is a scholar of Native American History, The American West, and Constitutional Law, and is a lecturer in these fields at California State University San Bernardino. DuBois clerked for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Tribal Courts and was a Udall Fellow for the United States Senate Indian Affairs Committee. A veteran of the United States Army, DuBois served over fifteen years in the Army National Guard with active duty from 2004 to 2006 as an infantry squad leader. Gary DuBois is an enrolled citizen of the Pechanga Band of Indians.

Lisa is the Archivist for the Pechanga Band of Indians, Cultural Resources Department. She earned her doctoral degree in Native American Studies from University of California, Davis. As archivist, Woodward manages the Tribe’s collection of photographs, archival documents, ephemera, and sound recordings. While at Davis as an undergraduate and later graduate student, she assisted in developing the J.P. Harrington Database Project, which assisted in providing Tribal Communities access to John Harrington’s extensive collection of field notes on Native languages. She also actively conducts research for the Tribe in the areas of Cultural Resource Management and Collection