Agustín Vicente Zamorano (1798–1842), was a

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, and provisional Comandante General in the north of Alta California.

History

Agustín Zamorano was born in Spanish Florida to

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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

parents within the Spanish colonial

Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...

. He entered the newly independent Mexican army May 1, 1821, as a cadet, where he served in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Alta California

He moved north in 1825 to the Mexican territory of Alta California, appointed as Secretary of State to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

José María Echeandía. He served until 1831. During this period, he would create and print official letterhead, using woodblocks and type, without a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

. In February 1827 Zamorano married María Luisa Argüello, daughter of

Santiago Argüello Santiago Argüello (1791–1862) was a Californio, a soldier in the Spanish army of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in Las Californias, a major Mexican land grant ranchos owner, and part of an influential family in Mexican Alta California and post- ...

and his wife, in a noted double wedding 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 eighth most populous city in the United State ...

. Their children were Dolores, Luis, Gonzalo, Guadalupe, Josefa, Agustín, and Eulalia. Zamorano became allied with a faction in northern California, participating in the 1831 Mexican Revolution, heading a group of rebels in

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 bot ...

, as Captain of the Monterey Company. The troops included a number of foreign residents, chiefly from the United States.

Governor

Manuel Victoria Manuel Victoria (died 1833) was governor of the Mexican-ruled territory of Alta California from January 1831 to December 6, 1831. He died in exile. He was appointed governor on March 8, 1830 by Lucas Alamán. Exile The revolt, called Battle of ...

decision to stop the Mexican government's secularization of the Alta California missions and redistribution of the land holdings as land grant ranchos because he believed the government should stand by the original commitment to hold that land in trust for Mission Indians. Victoria faced strong opposition from residents, particularly foreigners from the United States and Europe who wanted to acquire large landholdings. He was forced into exile from California in January 1832. Encheandía remained acting governor until an assembly met in Pueblo de Los Angeles. It chose Pío Pico as governor according to the Plan of San Diego, but officials in Los Angeles refused to recognize him. At that time, Zamorano proceeded to lead a rebellion in northern Alta California, and acted as governor there. Encheadía acted as governor in southern Alta California. During January 31, 1832 – January 15, 1833, Zamorano served as provisional Governor of Alta California at

in the north, with José María de Echeandía serving at

Pueblo de Los Angeles In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

in the south. The federal Mexican government appointed

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 ...

as governor in late 1832; he arrived in January 1833, and Zamorano returned to his former duties as commandant.

Printer

Zamorano is most noted for being the first person to bring a

to California, a wood-frame Ramage press purchased in Boston, Massachusetts. He set up a print shop in

in the summer of 1834. As secretary to the Mexican Governor, he printed early proclamations of Mexican governors. The first items he issued were a sixteen-page ''Reglamento'' (1834) and about a half-dozen broadsides and sheets. Zamorano published the first books in California. The first book he printed was ''Manifiesto a la Republica Mejicana'' in 1835. The Manifesto granted amnesty to the people of Alta California after the recent rebellion. He offered to provide "equitable prices with gentlemen who may wish to establish any periodical," but nobody took up his offer. In total, he printed eleven broadsides, six books, six miscellaneous works, and numerous letterheads. The first newspaper was not printed until 1840. That year U.S. Commodore

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...

found Zamorano's old press and Walter Colton, chaplain of the U.S. frigate ''Congress'' and former editor of the Philadelphia ''North American'', started the Monterey ''Californian''.

Later years

Capt. Zamorano was the last appointed

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

of the Presidio of San Diego during 1835–1840, but never assumed command. He was in San Diego in that period only during 1837–1838. Agustín Zamorano left Alta California in 1838 for Mexico. He later returned to San Diego in 1842, where he died that year.

Legacy

The Zamorano Club was formed in 1928 by a group of California book collectors, printers and librarians in honor of Agustín Zamorano. In 1986, Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, an elementary school in southeastern San Diego, was named in his honor. In 2012, Celeste Montalvo, a descendant of Agustin Vicente Zamorano, created a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AgustinVicenteZamarano and a group so that 'Descendants of Agustin Vicente Zamorano' could post family pictures and share their history. One of his descendants is the well-known singer

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

References

General references

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamorano, Agustin V. Spanish printers Mexican military personnel of the Mexican–American War 1798 births 1842 deaths People from Florida People from Monterey County, California Politicians from San Diego Governors of Mexican California People of Spanish Florida Californios 19th-century American politicians