Weapons

I'm not sure whether weapons will have much of a role in this novel. Ramon Emmanuel's main weapon to control his group is the threat of homelessness if they leave compared to prosperity and salvation if they stay.

Sasha Honig's article, The Presidios of Alta California, describes Mexican occupation Presidio weapons:

"More often than not, their firearms were of the wrong caliber or in such poor condition that they were actually unsafe to fire or the soldiers lacked sufficient gunpowder or lead to even carry out firing practice. The cannon, pointed toward shore to repel the invader who might come, were probably stopped up, broken, or inoperative due to lack of powder or cannon balls."

This site on Fort Point in San Francisco tells about the military building project that was in progress at about the time Elena went there to live. I have been to Fort Point and to the Presidios in San Francisco and Monterey.

A common handgun of the era was a Colt revolver. Here's a site on gun history:
Guns, Firearms and Ammunition History.