The Bust of Soledad Ortega de Argüello is a bronze monument in Argüello Plaza, in
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area of Northern California, approximately south of San Francisco and northwest of San Jose, California, San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 accor ...
, honoring
María Soledad Ortega de Argüello
Doña María Soledad Ortega de Argüello (1797–1874) was a Californio ranchera and socialite. She inherited the vast Rancho de las Pulgas, which encompassed most of the southern half of the San Francisco Peninsula, stretching from San Mateo to ...
, a
Californio
Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...
ranchera whose vast
Californian rancho, known as
Rancho de las Pulgas
Rancho de las Pulgas was a 1795 Spanish land grant in present-day San Mateo County, California, to José Darío Argüello. The literal translation is "Ranch of the Fleas," named after the exceptional abundance of fleas in the area. The grant ex ...
, encompassed the present-day cities of
San Mateo,
Belmont,
San Carlos,
Redwood City
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area of Northern California, approximately south of San Francisco and northwest of San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 according to the 2020 census. The Port of Redwo ...
,
Atherton and
Menlo Park.
[City of Redwood City official communications portal - Medium: Who was Dona Arguello?](_blank)
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History
In 1976, the city government of Redwood City renamed a plaza at the intersection of Broadway and Argüello Street, near Redwood City station, as Argüello Plaza, as part of the United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...
celebrations.Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
for "Patriotic Civic Committee of San Mateo County"), under the leadership of president Ángel Acosta, erected a bronze bust honoring Soledad Ortega de Argüello in that plaza, designed by sculptor Ray Lorenzata.[Smithsonian Learning Lab - Soledad O. de Arguello, (sculpture)](_blank)
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It was documented in the 1992 California Save Outdoor Sculpture
Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999.
History
Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...
survey.
Inscription
The Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
inscription on the monument reads:
References
{{Reflist
External links
Historical Marker Database - Bust of Soledad O. de Argüello
Chicano and Mexican monuments and memorials in California
Redwood City, California
Californios
Outdoor sculptures in California
Sculptures of women in California
Statues in California