It has been a gathering place for many centuries for the native people. Kunz, the godfather of gemology.North of Escondido, Pala is a small community mostly made up of Native Americans. In 1902 it was found to have the first commercially significant deposit of kunzite, named after George F. Pala was the site where morganite beryl was first discovered. Demand fell off about 1911, declining after the Empress died in 1908. Under her influence, China's demand for this gem created a boom in the California tourmaline industry after 1902, particularly at the Himalaya mine. Gem mines in the Pala District still produce tourmaline, with the pink variety as the regional specialty.Ĭhina's Dowager Empress Cixi of Qing Dynasty highly prized the pink tourmaline mined in Pala. Numerous gem mines were established in 1890s, of which more than twenty are listed in the Mindat database.

Pala is at an altitude of 404 feet, located at 33☂1′55″N 117☀4′36″W / 33.36528°N 117.07667°W / 33.36528 -117.07667 (latitude 33.365N, longitude 117.075W).Īfter United States annexation of California following its victory in the Mexican–American War, Pala became known for its mineral resources, including gold and tourmaline. The community is in the Pacific time zone. The community name may be derived from the Native American Cupeño or Luiseño language term pal, meaning 'water.' Another possible origin of the name is the Spanish word pala, which means 'shovel.' The community is in ZIP Code 92059, and inside area code 760.

In the National Geographic Names Database, it is officially catalogued as feature number 1661174.

The community is north of Escondido in the San Diego-Carlsbad metro area. For centuries a traditional gathering place of native peoples, it was selected in the early 19th century by Spanish Franciscan missionaries as the site of a mission to indoctrinate the Native Americans. Pala is a small, mostly Native American, community and CDP located in the Pala Indian Reservation, located within San Diego County, California.

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