Pala is a small, mostly Native American community and census-designated place located within the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego County, California. For centuries a traditional gathering place of native peoples, it was selected in the early 19th century by Spanish Franciscan missionaries as the site of a mission to indoctrinate the Native Ameri…Pala is a small, mostly Native American community and census-designated place located within the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego County, California. For centuries a traditional gathering place of native peoples, it was selected in the early 19th century by Spanish Franciscan missionaries as the site of a mission to indoctrinate the Native Americans.