Presidio of Monterey

Three centuries of military occupation compressed onto one hill above Monterey harbor. Spain claimed it in 1770 under Gaspar de Portolá, Mexico held it next, and the U.S. Navy took it in 1846 without firing a shot. Today it runs as an active Army installation — home to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, the military's primary center for foreign language instruction. The last active presidio in California, and still doing the work.