The Pico family is a prominent Californio family of Southern California. [1] [2] Members of the family held extensive rancho grants and numerous important positions, including Governor of Alta California, signer of the Constitution of California, and California State Senator, among numerous others. Numerous locations are named after the family across California.
The family was founded by Santiago Pico, who came to California in 1775 as a member of the de Anza expedition. [3] He was born in 1733 in Sonora. He served at the Presidio of San Francisco until he was appointed to the Presidio of San Diego in 1777. He married María Jacinta Bastida and had seven children, from which members of the Pico family all descend. He was granted Rancho Simi in 1795. He died 1815 in San Buenaventura.
José María Pico was born in 1764, as son of Santiago Pico. He was one of the first settlers of San Diego. In 1782, he became a soldier, joining the company at the Presidio of San Diego. He later served as corporal and then sergeant of the guard at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, until his retirement in 1818. [4] In 1789, he married María Estaquia López. He died in San Gabriel in 1819.
Pío Pico was born in 1801 in San Gabriel. He served as the last Governor of Alta California prior to the Conquest of California. [5] He was one of the wealthiest men in California during his lifetime, acquiring numerous important ranchos, including Rancho Paso de Bartolo, Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, and Rancho Jamul, among numerous others. He also served as a member of the Los Angeles Common Council.
Andrés Pico was born in 1810 in San Diego. He served as a member of the California Senate (1860 to 1876) and the California State Assembly (1851 to 1860). [6] During the Conquest of California, he led Californio forces in the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846. He was one of the two principal signers of the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847, which ended the Mexican–American War in California. [7] He was the owner of Rancho Ex-Mission San Fernando. He was also commissioned as Brigadier General of the California National Guard.
Antonio María Pico was born in 1808 in Monterey. He was elected as a delegate for Santa Clara County to the Monterey Constitutional Convention of 1849 and was a signer of the Californian Constitution. [8] He also served as Alcalde of San José (mayor) in 1835. [9] [10] [11]
Salomón Pico was born in 1821 in Salinas. He participated in the California Gold Rush, but his property rights to land where gold was discovered were disregarded by American squatters. Salomon subsequently vowed revenge against the eastern settlers coming to California and became a notorious outlaw. He was hailed as a hero and vigilante by Californios and decried as a bandit by government authorities. He is considered to be one of the inspirations for El Zorro , the fictional Californio hero. [12] The Solomon Hills in Santa Barbara County are named after him.
Aaron Pico was born in 1996 in Whittier. He is the great-great-great-great-grandson of Pío Pico. [13] He is a mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler, currently signed to Bellator MMA. As a wrestler, he was a Cadet World Champion and placed second at the 2016 US Olympic Team Trials. [14] Pico made his professional MMA debut at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017, at Madison Square Garden. [15]
Numerous locations in California are named after members of the Pico family, including:
Media related to Pico family of California at Wikimedia Commons
Californio is a term used to designate a Hispanic Californian, especially those descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries. California's Spanish-speaking community has resided there since 1683 and is made up of varying Spanish and Mexican origins, including criollos, Mestizos, Indigenous Californian peoples, and small numbers of Mulatos. Alongside the Tejanos of Texas and Neomexicanos of New Mexico and Colorado, Californios are part of the larger Spanish-American/Mexican-American/Hispano community of the United States, which has inhabited the American Southwest and the West Coast since the 16th century. Some may also identify as Chicanos, a term that came about in the 1960’s.
Andrés Pico was a Californio who became a successful rancher, fought in the contested Battle of San Pascual during the Mexican–American War, and negotiated promises of post-war protections for Californios in the 1847 Treaty of Cahuenga. After California became one of the United States, Pico was elected to the state Assembly and Senate. He was appointed as the commanding brigadier general of the state militia during the U.S. Civil War.
Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo was a Californio politician that served as Governor of Alta California from 1837-42. Prior to his term as governor, Alvarado briefly led a movement for independence of Alta California from 1836-37, in which he successfully deposed interim governor Nicolás Gutiérrez, declared independence, and created a new flag and constitution, before negotiating an agreement with the Mexican government resulting in his recognition as governor and the end of the independence movement.
José Antonio Estudillo was a Californio ranchero, politician, and soldier, who served as Alcalde of San Diego and as San Diego County Assessor. He was a member of the Estudillo family of California, a prominent Californio family of San Diego.
José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega was a Californio military officer, ranchero, and founder of the prominent Guerra family of California. He served as the Commandant of the Presidio of Santa Barbara and the Presidio of San Diego.
Captain José Antonio Ezequiel Carrillo (1796–1862) was a Californio politician, ranchero, and signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served three terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor).
Don Manuel Domínguez (1803–1882) was a Californio ranchero, politician, and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served as two terms as Alcalde of Los Angeles (mayor). He was one of the largest landowners in Southern California, having inherited Rancho San Pedro in 1825, one of the largest ranchos in California. He was one of the founders of the cities of Carson and Compton and of the fishing village of San Pedro. Today, California State University, Dominguez Hills and the communities of Rancho Dominguez, East Rancho Dominguez, and West Rancho Dominguez bear his family's name.
José Antonio Aguirre (1799–1860), commonly known as Don Antonio Aguirre, was a Spanish-born Californio merchant and ranchero, active in the Southern Californian cities of San Diego and Santa Barbara.
Rómulo Pico Adobe, also known as Ranchito Rómulo and Andrés Pico Adobe, was built in 1834 and is the oldest residence in the San Fernando Valley, making it the second oldest residence in Los Angeles. Built and owned by the Pico family of California, a prominent Californio family, the adobe is located in the Mission Hills section of the city and is a short distance from the San Fernando Mission. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
Leonardo Cota (1816–1887) was a Captain with the Californios in the Mexican–American War; and later a Los Angeles County Supervisor.
The Ávila family was a prominent Californio family of Spanish origins from Southern California, founded by Cornelio Ávila in the 1780s. Numerous members of the family held important rancho grants and political positions, including two Alcaldes of Los Angeles.
Don Juan Forster was an English-born Californio ranchero and merchant. Born in England, he emigrated to Mexico at age 16 and became a Mexican citizen. Soon after, he moved to California, where he married into the prominent Pico family of California and eventually held vast rancho grants across Southern California.
Salomón María Simeon Pico was a Californio, a cousin of former governor Pío Pico, who led a bandit band in the early years following the Mexican–American War in the counties of the central coast of California. Pico was considered by some Californios to be a patriot who opposed the American conquest of Alta California and its subsequent incorporation into the United States. He was hated for his banditry by the newly arrived Americans but protected by some Californios as a defender of his people.
Rancho Little Temecula was a 2,233-acre (9.04 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Riverside County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Pablo Apis. The grant was one of the few held by indigenous people. The grant is south of present-day Temecula and is bordered on the north by Temecula Creek. At the time of the US patent, Rancho Little Temecula was a part of San Diego County. Riverside County was created by the California Legislature in 1893 by taking land from both San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.
José María Covarrubias was a Californio politician and a signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He also served as Santa Barbara's member of the California State Assembly from 1849 to 1862.
The Covarrubias adobe is a California Historical Landmark in Santa Barbara, California. The house is one of the oldest in Santa Barbara, built in 1817. The adobe became a California State Historical Landmark No. 308 on September 12, 1939. The house is also on the Santa Barbara City Landmark. The house is located at 715 Santa Barbara Street. The house is a L-shaped with four rooms, the original Spanish tile roof was later replaced.
The Carrillo family is a prominent Californio family of Southern California. Members of the family held extensive rancho grants and numerous important political positions, including Governor of Alta California, Mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor of Santa Barbara, Mayor of Santa Monica, and a signer of the Californian Constitution.
Don Antonio María Pico was a Californio politician, ranchero, and a signer of the California Constitution in 1849. He also served twice as Alcalde of San José.
Don Antonio María Suñol was a Spanish-born Californio businessman, ranchero, and politician. Suñol served two terms as Alcalde of San José (mayor) and was one of the largest landowners in the Bay Area. He is the namesake of the town of Sunol and the founder of Willow Glen, an affluent neighborhood of San Jose.
The Sepúlveda family is a prominent Californio family of Southern California. Members of the family held extensive rancho grants and numerous important positions, including Alcalde de Los Ángeles, California State Assemblymen, and Los Angeles County Supervisor.