The Life and Times of Po Pico, Last Governor of Mexican California

P o Pico was the last Governor of California under Mexican rule, serving from 1845-1846, just before the U.S. military occupation. Today, the name Pico is a familiar place name. Driving or walking throughout southern California one will encounter busy Pico Boulevard; the City of Pico Rivera; two P o Pico elementary schools; the Pico-Union district near downtown L.A.; Pico Park; the P o Pico Koreatown Library; the three-story Pico House building; natural landmarks such as Pico Canyon north of Los Angeles and Pico Creek near Oceanside; and P o Pico State Historic Park in the City of Whittier, just to name a few. His name has been commercialized in several businesses from corner grocery stores, shopping malls and fast food restaurants. And yet, despite the veneration in the popular mind, much of what we know about P o Pico remains clouded in myth. His significance as an historical figure, as well as his connection to the contemporary Latino and African-American communities is worth remembering.

Despite the veneration in the popular mind, much of what we know about P o Pico remains clouded in myth.

P o de Jesus Pico was born on May 5, 1801, to Jos Mar a Pico and Mar a Eustaquia Gutierrez at Mission San Gabriel Archangel where his father served as corporal of the guard. His life spanned almost the entire 19th century under the flags of Spain, Mexico, and the United States, a century in which he played a major role in shaping. P o's grandparents, Santiago de la Cruz Pico, a mestizo and his wife, Mar a Jacinta Bastida, a mulata and their seven children were the first Picos to settle in California. They were among the settlers from the northwest Mexican provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa who journeyed in 1776 with Captain Juan Bautista de Anza on a new land route from Sonora.

Scholars have correctly described Governor Pico as an Afro-Mexican.

Pico's racial background as reflected in the few existing portraits and family census records has been the subject of much interest. Scholars have correctly described Governor Pico as an Afro-Mexican, and for good reason. The basic social and cultural patterns of Mexican society that his grandparents and other settlers brought to California had been developed in Sonora and Sinaloa during the previous two hundred years. Africans had begun to enter these provinces, many as slaves, in the 17th century, and their descendants were racially mixed by the time of the colonization of California in the 18th century. Indios, mulatos, mestizos, and other persons of mixed race were not a rarity in Sonora and Sinaloa but were actually the majority population. This understanding of the Pico family offers further documentation of the African presence in Mexican history. It is also important to note that of the original 44 founders or pobladores of Los Angeles, where P o Pico spent most of his life, 26 were of African descent.

P o Pico spent his childhood years in San Diego, where his father continued to serve in the military. The family briefly moved back to San Gabriel Mission in 1818 where Jos Mar a Pico would die the following year. After his father's death, the Picos moved back to San Diego and young P o would assume responsibility for much of the support of his family.

The 1820s would prove to be a time of great change for the Picos and for the people of California as a whole. After a long struggle that began in 1810, Mexico won its Independence from Spain in 1821. For P o Pico and other young Californios, independence spurred a growing sense of national pride and optimism for the future. He began his career in business by opening a small general store in San Diego where he sold providions, liquor, furniture, shoes, and mules. Pico's business activity offered opportunities for him to travel throughout Alta California wher he encountered many of the leading Californio families. These experiences contributed to his growing prosperity and interest in politics. In 1826 he was elected to the diputaci n, the newly formed legislature that served as an advisory body to the goveronor of Alta California. He began to amass his fortune in property. In 1829 he received his first land grant of 8,922 acres new San Diego. He was reelected several times to the diputaci n and also served as interim governor in 1832 after leading a successful revolt against an unpopular governor sent from Mexico City to rule over California.

The 1830s witnessed several events in P o Pico's life that identified him as a wealthy and influential leader in Californio society. In 1834, the Mexican government took steps to secularize the California missions. And as the chief advocate of secularization, Pico played a central role in the transfer of enormous land holdings previously under the control of the Franciscan missionaries to the private ownership of his fellow rancheros and political allies. That same year, the wedding of P o Pico and Mar a Ignacia Alvarado in Los Angeles was among the most memorable social events of the entire Mexican era and an expression of his influence. Governor Jos Figueroa served as best man and hundreds of guests from throughout Alta California participated in the three-day fiesta. From 1835 to 1840 he served as mayordomo or administrator of Mission San Luis Rey, located near present-day Oceanside.

P o de Jesus Pico and his wife, Mar a Ignacia Alvarado Pico, in 1852, with two of their nieces, Mar a Anita Alvarado (far left) and Trinidad Ortega (far right). Courtesy of the Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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The 1840s saw increased prosperity within Californio society, a society which included several American and European settlers, as well as a growing awareness of American desire for territorial expansion. In 1841, P o and his younger brother Andr s Pico acquired a colossal land grant o

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