José María Estudillo
Encyclopedia
José María Estudillo was an early settler of San Diego, California
and was a governing official during San Diego's Mexican
period.
, Spain
, Captain Estudillo was Commandant of the Presidio of San Diego
from October 23, 1820 to September 1821 and again from 1827 to his death in 1830.
Estudillo married Gertrudis Horcasitas. In 1827 Estudillo's son, José Antonio Estudillo
, built a large L-shaped adobe
house for his father on land granted by Governor
José María de Echeandía . The adobe was later enlarged and became U-shaped. The house is still standing, known as Casa de Estudillo
, and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in California. It is located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
, on the southeast side of the Old Town San Diego plaza, and is designated a National Historic Landmark in its own right.
José Antonio Estudillo was the grantee of Rancho Janal
. Estudillo's other children were José Joaquin Estudillo
, grantee of Rancho San Leandro
, on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay
; María Dolores Estudillo, who married Juan Bandini
; and Magdalena Estudillo, the grantee who received Rancho Otay
.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and was a governing official during San Diego's Mexican
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
period.
Life
Born in AndalusiaAndalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Captain Estudillo was Commandant of the Presidio of San Diego
Presidio of San Diego
El Presidio Reál de San Diego is an historical fort established on May 14, 1769, by Commandant Pedro Fages for Spain. It was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the United States. As the first of the presidios and Spanish missions in California, it was the base of...
from October 23, 1820 to September 1821 and again from 1827 to his death in 1830.
Estudillo married Gertrudis Horcasitas. In 1827 Estudillo's son, José Antonio Estudillo
José Antonio Estudillo
José Antonio Estudillo was a Californio and an early settler of San Diego, California when California was part of New Spain.-Life:...
, built a large L-shaped adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house for his father on land granted by Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
José María de Echeandía . The adobe was later enlarged and became U-shaped. The house is still standing, known as Casa de Estudillo
Casa de Estudillo
The Casa de Estudillo, also known as the Estudillo House, is a historic adobe house in San Diego, California, United States. It was constructed in 1827 by José María Estudillo and his son José Antonio Estudillo, early settlers of San Diego, and was considered one of the finest houses in Mexican...
, and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in California. It is located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the town of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was...
, on the southeast side of the Old Town San Diego plaza, and is designated a National Historic Landmark in its own right.
José Antonio Estudillo was the grantee of Rancho Janal
Rancho Janal
Rancho Janal was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1829 by Governor José María de Echeandía to José Antonio Estudillo. The grant was located near present day Otay Mesa. A large portion of the grant is now covered by the waters of the Upper and Lower Otay...
. Estudillo's other children were José Joaquin Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo
José Joaquín Estudillo was a Mexican citizen of Alta California who was the second alcalde of Yerba Buena, California , and whose land holdings, known as Rancho San Leandro, formed the basis of the city of San Leandro.-Biography:He was born at the Presidio of Monterey, to José María Estudillo, a...
, grantee of Rancho San Leandro
Rancho San Leandro
Rancho San Leandro was a Mexican land grant in present day Alameda County, California given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Joaquín Estudillo...
, on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
; María Dolores Estudillo, who married Juan Bandini
Juan Bandini
Juan Bandini was an early settler of what would become San Diego, California.-Early history:Juan Bandini was born 1800 in Lima, Peru to José Bandini, a Spanish sea captain. His father came to California in 1819 and 1821 and participated in the Mexican War of Independence...
; and Magdalena Estudillo, the grantee who received Rancho Otay
Rancho Otay
Rancho Otay was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to Magdelena Estudillo. The grant in the present day Otay Mesa area, extended along the Otay River, just west of Lower Otay Reservoir....
.
Sources
- California Pioneer Register and Index, 1542—1848
- "The Estudillo Family", The Journal of San Diego History 15:1 (1969) by Sister Catherine McShane
- "Rancho Guajome", The Journal of San Diego History 41:4 (1995) by Iris H. W. Engstrand and Mary F. Ward