The Cahuenga Pass (, ;
Tongva
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...
: ''Kawé’nga''), also known by its
Spanish name Paseo de Cahuenga, is a low
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...
through the eastern end of the
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
in the
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...
district of the City of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. It has an elevation of . The Cahuenga Pass connects the
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is a sedimentary Structural basin, basin located in Southern California, in a region known as the Peninsular Ranges. The basin is also connected to an wikt:anomalous, anomalous group of east–west trending chains of mountai ...
to the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...
via
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
(
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortc ...
) and
Cahuenga Boulevard. It is the lowest pass through the mountains.
History

The name Cahuenga comes from a
Tongva
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...
village named ''
Kawé’nga'', probably meaning "at the mountain".
It was the site of two major battles: the
Battle of Cahuenga Pass in 1831 (a fight between local settlers and the Mexican-appointed governor and his men; two deaths), and the
Battle of Providencia
The Battle of Providencia (also called the "Second Battle of Cahuenga Pass") took place in Cahuenga Pass in early 1845 on Rancho Providencia in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles, California. Native ''Californios'' successfully chal ...
or Second Battle of Cahuenga Pass in 1845 (between locals over whether to secede from Mexico; one horse and one mule killed). Both were on the San Fernando Valley side near present-day
Studio City, and cannonballs are still occasionally found during excavations in the area.
Along the route of the historic
El Camino Real, the historic significance of the pass is also marked by a marker along Cahuenga Blvd. which names the area Paseo de Cahuenga.
See also
*
*
*
*
List of mountain passes in California
**
Cajon Pass
**
Escondido Summit
**
Newhall Pass
**
Soledad Pass
**
Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass ( Kawaiisu: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb") is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California. Traditionally, the pass marks the northeast end of the Tehachapis and the south end of the Sierra N ...
**
Tejon Pass
The Tejon Pass , previously known as ''Portezuelo de Cortes'', ''Portezuela de Castac'', and Fort Tejon Pass is a mountain pass between the southwest end of the Tehachapi Mountains and northeastern San Emigdio Mountains, linking Southern Calif ...
&
Old Tejon Pass
References
External links
*
Neighborhoods in Los Angeles
Mountain passes of California
U.S. Route 101
San Fernando Valley
Transportation in the San Fernando Valley
Santa Monica Mountains
El Camino Viejo
Hollywood Hills
Landforms of Los Angeles County, California
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