Life

Santiago Argüello was born in Monterey, California

Monterey, California

The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

, the son of José Darío Argüello

José Darío Argüello

José Darío Argüello was a Spanish soldier and California pioneer, and twice governor of California.-Biography:José Darío Argüello was born in Santiago de Querétaro, New Spain ....

, a soldier, and María Ignacia Moraga, a niece of the acting governor of Alta California

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,...

. Argüello was tall and stout. His fair complexion and black hair, along with his reserved manner gave him a regal presence. His reserved manner caused some to dislike him. He was a man of ability and left an honorable record.

In 1805, Argüello entered the Spanish Army as a cadet in San Francisco. He spent his army years in the Presidio of San Francisco

Presidio of San Francisco

The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...

, the Presidio of Santa Barbara

Presidio of Santa Barbara

The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California...

, and 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...

. Argüello was paymaster at the Presidio of San Diego in 1818, and in 1821 had a garden in Mission Valley

Mission Valley, California

Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east-west in San Diego, California, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean...

. Argüello's took part in the Bouchard Invasion

Hippolyte de Bouchard

Hippolyte de Bouchard, or Hipólito de Bouchard , was a French and Argentine sailor and corsair who fought for Argentina, Chile, and Peru....

. In 1827-31 he was lieutenant of the San Diego Company, and commandant from 1830 to 1835. From 1831-35, Argüello was captain of the company and (reluctantly) took part in the 1831 revolt against Governor Manuel Victoria

Manuel Victoria

Manuel Victoria was Governor of the Mexican territory of Alta California from January 1831 to 6 December 1831.The revolt leading to his twelve month abbreviated tenure and subsequent exile were due to his nullifying the order of his predecessor, José María de Echeandía, to secularize the missions...

. In 1833-34 he was revenue officer at San Diego.

Argüello helped establish the Pueblo (town) government of San Diego in 1835, with five other soldiers. The soldiers sent a committee of five to the commandant to complain of hunger and lack of clothing and demand a payment on account of back pay. The commandant began to put them in irons, but the threats of their comrades compelled him to desist. They appealed to the General, who promised them justice, which he soon after administered.

In 1829, Argüello was granted Rancho Tía Juana

Tijuana

Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...

, and in 1841, Rancho Trabuco

Rancho Trabuco

Rancho Trabuco was a Mexican land grant in present day Orange County, California. The five square league grant consisted of two square leagues given in 1841 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Santiago Argüello plus three square leagues given in 1846 by Governor Pío Pico to John Forster. The name...

 for his services. In 1846 Argüello was granted Rancho Ex-Mission San Diego

Rancho Ex-Mission San Diego

Rancho Ex-Mission San Diego was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Santiago Argüello...

 from the secularized Mission San Diego de Alcala

Mission San Diego de Alcalá

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, in San Diego, California, was the first Franciscan mission in the Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was founded in 1769 by Spanish friar Junípero Serra in an area long inhabited by the Kumeyaay Indians...

 lands.

During the Mexican-American War he was friendly to the Americans and gave them considerable aid. He welcomed the stabilizing influence of the Americans, as the California government was in disarray after the ouster of Governor Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena

Manuel Micheltorena was a Brigadier General of the Mexican Army, Adjutant-General of the same, Governor, Commandant-General and Inspector of the Department of the California...

 in 1846. With 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...

 he issued an appeal to not to resist the Americans. Soldiers were quartered at his house and he held a commission as captain in the California battalion. Was a member of the Legislative council in 1847 and made collector of the port.

In Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

 in 1810, Argüello married María del Pilar Ortega, granddaughter of José Francisco Ortega

José Francisco Ortega

José Francisco Ortega was soldier and early settler of California.-Early life:Ortega was born in 1734 at Zelaya, Guanajuanto, Mexico, where he worked as a warehouse clerk. In 1755, he enlisted and served at the Presidio at Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto. In 1759 Ortega married María Antonia...

. They had 15 children, 5 in Santa Barbara and the rest in San Diego. Among the children were: Santiago E. Arguello

Santiago E. Arguello

Santiago E. Arguello Santiago E. Arguello, son of Santiago Arguello, was born August 18, 1813. Collector of revenue at San Diego he took part in the civil conflict against Alvarado in 1836-1837 and was a Deputy in assembly in 1845-46...

, Francisco, Ignacio, José Antonio, José Ramon

José Ramon Argüello

José Ramon Argüello was the son of Santiago Argüello, a Commandant and later Alcalde of San Diego,and María del Pilar Ortega.Argüello married María Ysabella Alviso....

, Santiago E. Arguello, Refugia (married to 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...

), Teresa (married to José M. Bandini), María Luisa (married to Agustín V. Zamorano), and Concepcion (married to Augustín Olvera

Agustin Olvera

Agustin Olvera was a pioneer of Los Angeles, California and was active in the turbulent political affairs of the time.-Biography:...

).

Argüello died on his Rancho Tía Juana in 1862, and his widow died in 1878.