Las Californias is a name given in the past to the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur in Mexico and the state of California in the United States.

The first European to sight the California region was the pilot navigator Fortún Jiménez who guided Hernán Cortés. At the time of Cortez' arrival, the region was occupied by a wide variety of Native American peoples, and may have had contact with Asian exploreres and traders.