José Darío María Pico (1764 – 1819) was member of the Pico family of California, an important

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 ...

family to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. He was a soldier in the Company of San Diego since 1782, corporal at Mission San Luis Rey (1798) and sergeant (1805–1818).

Biography

José María Pico was born in 1764 in San Xavier Cavazos,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

. His mother, María Jacinta de la Bastida, was of mixed European and African descent. His father, Santiago Pico, was

Mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

(Europe and Native Mexican descent) and a member of the prominent Pico family of California. His brothers were José Dolores, José María, José Miguel, Francisco Javier, Patricio, and his sisters María Antonia Tomasa and Josefa María. His family moved to California when he was a child.

Military career

He served as a soldier and in 1782 joined the company at the

Presidio of San Diego El Presidio Real de San Diego (Royal Presidio of San Diego) is a historic fort in San Diego, California. It was established on May 14, 1769, by Gaspar de Portolá, leader of the first European land exploration of Alta California—at that time a ...

. Later, in 1798, he became a corporal of guard at Mission San Luis Rey. Between 1805 and 1818 he reached the position of sergeant, also in San Luis Rey, retiring in 1818. José María Pico died in 1819, in

San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish language, Spanish for "Gabriel, St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,568. San Gabriel was founded ...

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Personal life

In 1789, he married María Estaquia López (o Gutiérrez), originally from Sonora. His three sons were Andrés, José Antonio Bernardo and Pío. He also had six daughters: Concepción, Estefanía, Jacinta, Ysadora, Tomasa, and Feliciana. José María, was the father of

Pio Pico Pio or PIO may refer to: Places * Pio Lake, Italy * Pio Island, Solomon Islands * Pio Point, Bird Island, south Atlantic Ocean People * Pio (given name) * Pio (surname) * Pio (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer * Pio (footballer, ...

, who was the last Mexican governor of California.

Descendants

Andrés Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres *Andres (song), "Andres" (song), a 1994 song b ...

(1810 – 1876), the most prominent son of José María was in command of the Californians at the Battle of San Pascual and fought in battles in the San Gabriel y La Mesa. On January 13, 1847, occupying the office of national forces in California, signed the capitulation of Cahuenga, ending the war. In 1851, he was a member of the assembly. The following year, he was presidential elector. Later, in 1858, was receiver general of the militia brigade. Between 1860 and 1861 was a senator of the state. He and the others son of Santiago Pico de la Cruz received significant lands: Agua Caliente, Arroyo Seco, Bolsa de San Cayetano, Piedra Blanca, El Pescadero, Jurmala, La Habra, Los Flores, Moquelamo, El Paso de Bartolo Viejo, Punto del Año Nuevo, San José del Gracia de Simi, Santa Margarita, Temecula, Valle de San José y Loma de Casos. He never married, but adopted several children. *

Pío Pico Don (honorific), Don Pío de Jesús Pico IV (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was a California politician, ranchero, and entrepreneur, famous for serving as the List of governors of California before 1850, last governor of Alta California und ...

(1801 – 1894) had an important role in the Californian history, acting of Governor of Alta California (now the State of California) under Mexican rule. He was, in fact, the last Mexican Governor of this state. He married María Ignacia Alvarado.

References

People of Alta California 1764 births 1819 deaths History of Southern California Spanish people of African descent {{US-bio-stub