Don Francisco Pérez Pacheco (1790-1860) was a

Californio Californio (plural Californios) 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 sinc ...

ranchero, soldier, and prominent public figure. He was the recipient of numerous rancho grants and become one of the largest landowners in

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Montere ...

and

San Benito County San Benito County (; ''San Benito'', Spanish for "St. Benedict"), officially the County of San Benito, is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,209. The coun ...

. Today numerous locations are named after him, including

Pacheco State Park Pacheco State Park is a California State Park to the south of Pacheco Pass in the Diablo Range, located mostly in western Merced County, California but extending into southeastern Santa Clara County and near Hollister in San Benito County. Locate ...

and

Pacheco Pass Pacheco Pass, elevation , is a low mountain pass located in the Diablo Range in southeastern Santa Clara County, California. It is the main route through the hills separating the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley (California), Central Val ...

.California State Parks - Pacheco State Park
/ref>

Early life

Pacheco was born in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

in 1790. He trained as a

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

maker by trade prior to emigrating to

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

in 1819. There he enlisted as a soldier at the

Presidio of Monterey The Presidio of Monterey (POM), located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently, it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC) ...

. In 1824, Pacheco successfully suppressed a revolt at

Mission La Purísima Concepción Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, earning him the title of lieutenant. In 1827, he was elected as a delegate of the provincial deputation of Alta California, serving until 1846. Pacheco spent a good portion of his life acquiring various

ranchos of California The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...

. He was granted

Rancho Ausaymas y San Felipe Rancho Ausaymas y San Felipe was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Benito County and Santa Clara County, California a consists of two square leagues (San Felipe) given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa and two square leagues (Ausaymas) giv ...

, located in southern

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

and northern

, in two parts: San Felipe in 1833 by Governor

José Figueroa José Figueroa (1792 – 29 September 1835), was a General and the Mexican Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835. He wrote the first book to be published in California. Background and governorship Figueroa was a Mestizo of Spanish a ...

and Ausaymas in 1836 by Governor

Nicolás Gutiérrez Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was twice acting governor of the northern part of ''Las Californias'' (what had previously been Alta California) in 1836, from January to May and July to November. Gutiérrez served two short terms a ...

. He was granted

Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe Rancho Bolsa de San Felipe was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Benito County, California given in 1840 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Don Francisco Pérez Pacheco. Bolsa means "pockets" and refers to pockets of land in the Tequisqui ...

, in San Benito County, in 1840 by Governor

Juan Bautista Alvarado Juan Bautista Valentín Alvarado y Vallejo (February 14, 1809 – July 13, 1882) 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 independe ...

. He bought

Rancho San Justo Rancho San Justo was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Benito County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to José Antonio Castro. The lands of the rancho include current day Hollister. History General José Castro was ...

, in San Benito County, from

José Castro José Antonio Castro (1808 – February 1860) was a Californio politician, statesman, and general who served as interim Governor of Alta California and later Governor of Baja California. During the Bear Flag Revolt and the American Conquest of ...

in 1850. Following his son Juan Carlos Pacheco's death in 1855, he inherited

Rancho San Luis Gonzaga Rancho San Luis Gonzaga was a Mexican land grant in the Diablo Range, in present-day Santa Clara County and Merced County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Juan Carlos Pacheco and José Maria Mejía. The grant was bo ...

Merced County Merced County ( ), is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

Personal life

He married Feliciana Gonzales de Pacheco, sometime prior to 1813. They had their first daughter, Ponciana Pacheco, in 1813. In 1814, Jacinta Pacheco was born (who married Sebastián Núñez, grantee of

Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas Rancho Orestimba y Las Garzas (Meetingplace and the Herons) was a Mexican land grant in present-day Stanislaus County and Merced County, California given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Sebastián Núñez. The grant was originally in ...

). In 1820, his first son, Isidro de la Santíssima Pacheco, was born, followed by Juan Carlos Pacheco in 1821 (who was the grantee of

). In 1822, his eldest daughter Ponciana died and was buried at

Mission San Carlos Borromeo Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Río Carmelo, or Misión de San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, first built in 1797, is one of the most authentically restored Catholic mission churches in California. Located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, Californi ...

. In 1826, his daughter María Encarnación Pacheco was born, followed by María Isidora Pacheco in 1829 (who married Mariano Malarín, owner of

Rancho Zanjones Rancho Zanjones was a Mexican land grant in present day Monterey County, California given in 1839 by Governor pro tem Manuel Jimeno to Gabriel de la Torre. The grant extended along the north bank of the Salinas River east of present day Chuala ...

Rancho Chualar Rancho Chualar was a Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present-day Monterey County, California. It was given in 1839 by Governor pro tem Manuel Jimeno to Juan Malarín. The grant extended along the north bank of the Salinas River, a ...

, and

Rancho Guadalupe y Llanitos de los Correos Rancho Guadalupe y Llanitos de los Correos was a Mexican land grant in the Salinas Valley, in present-day Monterey County, California given in 1833 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan Malarín. The grant extended along the south bank of the Salina ...

) and Antonio Julián Pacheco in 1830.

Legacy

Numerous locations are named after Pacheco, especially in the lands of his rancho holdings.

is named after him. The land for the park was bequeathed to

California State Parks The California Department of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 ...

by Pacheco's great-great-granddaughter Paula Fatjó in 1992.

in the Diablo Mountains, along with Pacheco Pass Highway, is named for him, as is Pacheco Creek in San Benito County. The Pacheco Club, an exclusive members-only

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

, is named after him and housed in the Casa Pacheco, an

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

home built by him in 1840.Pacheco Club - Casa Pacheco Adobe Foundation
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacheco, Francisco Perez Californios 1790 births 1860 deaths History of San Benito County, California People of Mexican California History of Monterey County, California