As a college student hitchhiking through Spain in 1959, Ron Arias met Ernest Hemingway by chance in Pamplona. That experience, among others, including a stint in Peru as a Peace Corps volunteer and a search for the truth about his father’s withdrawal from the family after returning from the Korean War, led Arias to a career in journalism that spans nearly 40 years. Newly retired from his 22 years at People magazine, the Los Angeles native now teaches a class at California State University, Dominguez Hills titled “Writing the Biography of a Pueblo.”

Los Pobladores, the original settlers of Los Angeles reflected a multicultural and multiethnic mix that has been the legacy of the city from 1781 to the present day. The 226th anniversary of that trek was Sept. 4 this year. Don Hata, emeritus professor of history, shares the story of this surprising discovery and the efforts of his colleagues to bring this knowledge to an often less-than-receptive L.A. during the city's bicentennial.