La Puente is located in the state of California and a city in Los Angeles County. The area was inhabited originally by the Kizh and they lived in a village that is called Awingna, wherein it was translated by linguists as “abiding place.” Matheo was the chief of the Awingna, who also held sway over several other nearby villages, was baptized by the Spanish conquerors at Mission San Gabriel around 1774. The first Europeans to see the land were the Spanish Portola expedition, who went in the area to see the inland portions of Alta California. The Spanish expedition party camped on the eastern side of the San Gabriel River, wherein the present-day unincorporated Bassett stands. The area that encompasses Awingna is the present-day city of La Puente.