Los Pinetos name history?

maxmapper · Post by **maxmapper** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 8:53 pm

I was hiking at Elsmere Canyon in Newhall Pass and on the San Gabriels side of the pass is a undercrossing under I-15 called the Los Pinetos undercrossing. It shares a name with a nearby canyon and mountain. I noticed that while of course "Los" is Spanish, "Pinetos" is not in the Spanish dictionary and doesn't seem to be used as a word other than to describe Los Pinetos Canyon or Los Pinetos Peak. There are Bigcone Douglas Fir there, so maybe it's some Spanglish version of Pinos? Or maybe someone knows the history?

David R · Post by **David R** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:23 pm

It means pine trees in Spanish.

maxmapper · Post by **maxmapper** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:25 pm

David R wrote: ↑It means pine trees in Spanish.

In what dictionary?

David R · Post by **David R** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:26 pm

Google Translate.

Post by **Sean** » Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:43 pm

It's an alternate spelling for "los pinedos," meaning "the pine forests."

Post by **Sean** » Wed Jul 12, 2023 7:40 am

Another possibility is that "los pinetos" is a loanword from Italian. Though I don't know how much influence Italian culture had on Spanish. Spanish does have the family names of Pinedo, Pineda, and to a lesser extent, Pineto.