Mariano de la Luz Verdugo (1746 – 1822) was a Spanish soldier and later Mayor of the Pueblo of Los Angeles. Mariano de la Luz Verdugo was born at San Javier, Baja California, to Juan Diego Verdugo and María Ignacia de la Concepción Carrillo. Mariano Verdugo came to California with his brother,

José María Verdugo José María Verdugo (1751 – 1831) was a soldier from the Presidio of San Diego who was assigned to the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel at the time his land was granted by the Spanish Empire in 1784. Spanish soldier José María Verdugo (Carr ...

, in the 1769 Rivera expedition and, for the next two decades, served at various presidios in California. Mariano Verdugo was promoted to the rank of corporal and placed in command of the guard at

Mission San Luis Obispo Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa ( es, Misión San Luis Obispo de Tolosa) is a Spanish mission founded September 1, 1772 by Father Junípero Serra in San Luis Obispo, California. Named after Saint Louis of Anjou, the bishop of Toulouse, the ...

in 1773. In 1781, he was elevated to sergeant and put in charge of the Monterey Presidio. In 1782, when Governor

Felipe de Neve Felipe de Neve y Padilla (1724 – 3 November 1784) was a Spanish soldier who served as the 4th Governor of the Californias, from 1775 to 1782. Neve is considered one of the founders of Los Angeles and was instrumental in the foundation of San ...

's expedition headed back to Mexico via the Colorado River, Verdugo led the military escort of the return trip. In 1784, Spanish governor

Pedro Fages Pedro Fages (1734–1794) was a Spanish soldier, explorer, first Lieutenant Governor of the Californias under Gaspar de Portolá. Fages claimed the governorship after Portolá's death, acting as governor in opposition to the official governor ...

granted grazing rights to Rancho Portezuela, near present day Universal City, to Mariano de la Luz Verdugo. Rancho Portezuela was reclaimed by the Mission San Fernando in 1810. Verdugo retired to Los Angeles around 1787, and served as

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

of the Pueblo in 1790 - 1791 and 1802 - 1808. Mariano married Maria Guadalupe Lugo (–1780) at

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo 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 1775. After Guadalupe Lugo died in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

in 1780, Verdugo married Maria Gertrudis Gregoria Espinosa (1760–1830) in 1788.Mariano de la Luz Verdugo and María Gregoria Espinosa marriage record
/ref> Their daughter, Maria del Rosaria Verdugo (1793-), married Francisco Avila in 1810.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verdugo, Mariano Californios 1746 births 1822 deaths American landowners 18th-century Mexican people 19th-century Mexican politicians 19th-century Mexican military personnel