Californio /ˌkælɪˈfɔː(ɹ)ni.oʊ/ noun1 •(historical) A Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic Californian living in California before the Mexican–American War.Jackson drew her setting and story in part from interviews with Antonio Coronel, a prominent Californio politician and rancher who contributed his own testimonial to Bancroft's research project. — 2015 formsCalifornios