Feliciana, the young widow who befriends Fernanda in Yakimali’s Gift, was a real person who joined Juan Bautista de Anza’s expedition from Mexico to California. In Feliciana’s world of eighteenth century Mexico, women of all classes were expected to be modest, unassertive, and devoted to God and home. Women did have a certain amount of freedom to choose their husbands since parents and the Catholic church wanted the marriages to last. (They lost some of that freedom when, in 1778, a proclamation from Spain required parental consent for marriages of people under the age of twenty-five.)
Even though women could choose their husbands, there was a strict class structure in place, and mixed marriages were frowned upon. Children of mixed-race couples had specific labels. The most common were mestizo (Spanish and Indian), mulatto (Spanish and African), coyote (mestizo and Indian), and castizo (Spanish and mestizo). People claimed the name of “Spaniard” when they could get away with it, even if they didn’t have pure Spanish blood.
It’s believed that Feliciana came from “pure” Spanish ancestry, thus, her parents disapproved of her marriage to José Gutierrez, a mestizo. They had two daughters, Tomása and Estaquia. Possibly to escape the strict Mexican society, Feliciana and José, who was a soldier under Anza’s command, decided to join the expedition. However, José died before the journey began. Still, Feliciana, with her two young daughters, chose to go on the journey.
With her spirit, bravery, and strong will, she embraced the opportunity to build a life for herself and her children in California. Much to the dismay of Father Pedro Font, a priest on the expedition and who was against Feliciana joining the expedition, she helped buoy the spirits of her traveling companions when, for example, she sang at a fandango, or dance, the colonists enjoyed on the expedition.
In his diary, Font wrote:
“At night, with the joy at the arrival of all the people, they held a fandango here. It was somewhat discordant, and a very bold widow who came with the expedition sang some verses which were not at all nice, applauded and cheered by all the crowd.”
Besides her two daughters, Tomása and Estaquia, from her first marriage to Jose Gutierrez, Feliciana had seven more children with her second husband, Juan Francisco López. Many of her descendants, showing the same courage and conviction as Feliciana, became important figures in California history.
In 1841, the Spanish government granted Feliciana’s daughter, Maria Ignacia López Carrillo, more than 8000 acres in what is now Santa Rosa in northern California. Her husband had died at the age of forty-three, and Ignacia was one of only a few unmarried women to receive such a grant. She obviously inherited Feliciana’s spirit since she managed the rancho herself, not something a woman of that period typically did.
Benicia, the California capital in 1853-1854, was named after Feliciana’s granddaughter, Francisca Benicia Carrillo de Vallejo. Francisca Benicia was the wife of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a prominent Mexican military and political leader in California in the years after Mexico won its independence from Spain (1821), and during the Mexican-American war (1846-1848).
Two grandsons (sons of Feliciana’s infant on the Anza expedition, Estaquia) were very involved in the politics of their time. Andrés Pico was the Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican military during the Mexican-American War. He and American Lieutenant-Colonel John C. Fremont signed the Treaty of Cahuenga, which ended the war. Andrés’ brother, Pío Pico, was the last Mexican governor of California before it became part of the United States in 1850.
Feliciana’s great-grandson Romualdo Pacheco became the State of California’s first and only Hispanic governor in 1875. Higher education was an important issue for him, and he promoted the establishment of the University of California. Pacheco also served many years in the California State Senate, and when elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, he became the first Hispanic chairman of a standing Congressional committee.
Feliciana left quite a legacy. How proud she probably would have been of her descendants’ accomplishments. And, learning of their lives, how happy she would have been with the decision she made on that September day in 1775: to risk leaving all she knew and make the long trek to California.
See Linda’s nonfiction picture book about Feliciana for ages 5 to 10 with gorgeous art by Debbie Bolton.
Linda Covella, Author 
M. Feliciana Arballo is my 5th Great-grandmother. I’m proud to have descended from a woman of such strength and courage. Thank you for including her in your story. I will look for the book to read for myself.
Tammy, this is amazing. I’m so happy to hear from you! Feliciana plays an important role in my book as friend and confidant to the fictional character Fernanda. I have a picture book about Feliciana that I’m submitting to agents and publishers right now. I hope to let younger readers know about this amazing woman. All the best to you.
Feliciana was said to be a Mullata Libra, a Free Black, her father a Spaniard. I don’t know how history has painted her as a daughter of priviledge.
L Cross, thanks for your comment. Yes, I find conflicting historical data on Feliciana’s ancestry. Some sources I’ve found show her as you’ve said, and other sources say she’s of Spanish ancestry, and her parents were “upper class.”
Thank you for sharing this important piece of history for latinas and Mexican women.
You are welcome, Martha. Thank you for reading! I have a picture book about Feliciana and the colonization expedition under contract and it will, hopefully, be out later this year.
My name is Gil Morales. I’m a great, grandson of Jesus Maria Andrade, great, great grandson of
Secundino Andrade buried in Los Angeles. My daughter has investigated our line, on my mother’s side, back to Maria Feliciana Arballo and Francisco Lopez. We are in possession of a very interesting article/obituary in a 1945, Tucson newspaper regarding the life of Jesus Maria Andrade. Would be happy to share and most happy to receive any contributions you may have uncovered regarding our history. Our reunion will be on July 29th, 2017 in Moreno Valley, CA. We would love to welcome you. Tel. Gil at: 305 301 8999, Email: gil@exkoservices.com
Gil, thank you so much for contacting me. I find this history and the people involved fascinating. I’d love to see the article. You can email it to me at linda.covella@rocklogic.com It’s very kind of you to invite me to your family reunion, but I’m in the Bay Area and won’t be able to get down your way on that weekend. All the best.
Linda, I have just finished the manuscript on a historical fiction novel that, although not of subject with our family line, does portray the integration of a Mexican family into the American culture from the early nineteen hundreds to the present. They are very contributive to a chain of events in a plot against the United States. Would be happy to share if you have the time to read and comment.
I would be interested in reading your manuscript, but it may take me a while to finish it if that’s okay. Do you have a copy that I can put on my Kindle? Maybe a PDF; I’m not sure how that works, but I can try. 🙂 You can email me at linda.covella@rocklogic.com Thanks, Gil!
I am currently living in San Francisco and I saw my last name on a street sign. I googled it and found this. Since my family has been in California for a few generations I will see if the ole family tree crosses.
Oh, that would be interesting if you’re related. Please let me know what you find out. Thanks, Christian!
Dear Christian,
My daughter and I did a research on our heritage for a family reunion last year. We were happy to discover that we are direct descendants of one of Feliciana Arballo’s daughters. I would be happy to share with you our study in the form of a Flash Drive. Please contact me at (305) 301 8999. I would love to make contact with you and expand on our discovery and relations of distant relatives,
Gil Morales
Hi Gilbert: Thanks for reaching out to Christian!
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your providing us a venue whereby we may contact Feliciana’s descendants. I cannot remember if I thanked you for your valuable advise re my very amateurish attempt at writing a coherent story. I also received some very encouraging advise from Mike Ajakwe which I will combine with yours and apply as soon I return from a necessary hiatus. Unfortunately, Mike passed away recently to all of our dismay. He was a great personal friend, not just to our family but to so many in the creative world. If I ever finish my work I will owe much to Mike, as well as you.
I was recently in Santa Cruz and toyed with the idea of of contacting you but thought better of it.
Your response and/or comment is not expected or needed to this. I’m sure it would have been an imposition.
Re your soon to be published pictorial, I will be very happy to supply any information from my knowledge or at my disposal re our descendancy from Feliciana. Also, please advise as soon as it is published and where our family may purchase copies to distribute.
I wish you a joyous and successful 2019, replete with God’s blessings.
Gil Morales
Gil, please contact me next time you’re in Santa Cruz. It’d be nice to meet you and have a chat over a cup of coffee! Thank you for your offer of information regarding your relation to Feliciana. I’ll keep in touch, and also let you know when the book is published. All the best for 2019, and keep writing!
I will be back in my home town of hollister ca in about a month. I will try to give you a call then. As my obligations right now hardly allows me much personal time. I look forward to talking with you. My grandfather was Eugenio Arballo. And my father was John D. Arballo . If that helps,
Feliciana is my great (x7) grandma. I just ordered your book from Amazon. Thank you!
Thank you so much. Feliciana was an amazing woman; you should be proud you are related to her! I hope you enjoy the book. 🙂
A relative of a descendant of Feliciana’s emailed me a biography she wrote of the descendant, and I lost it when my email went down. I’m hoping she sees this message and resends!! Thanks again, Kristie.
Oh very cool I didn’t know there was another. I know there’s a story about her in a book called California Love Stories but I thought that was it. I hope they see it I’d be interested to read it! Thank you 😊
I think the missing email/story was just something she did as a private project; I don’t think it’s published.
I read Feliciana’s story in California Love Stories. I came across it when I was researching my book. I really had to dig to find information on her! Thanks, Kristie!
Hello! My daughter Eliana through her dads family is a descendent of Maria Feliciana Arballo. We learned that she was a mulata libre when in 2006, Mexican church records were digitized. This is published in an article that I found. This was in 2012 so not sure I have that article anymore but you should be able to find it. My daughter and I put together some of this history when she had to give a presentation to her 4th grade class. Also, my daughter’s second cousin, current Federal congresswoman Lucille Roybal Allard is a descendent of hers as well. She may not know. Lucille may only know that she is a descendent of Jose Matias Moreno and Prudenciana Lopez Vallejo who’d house is a historic building in Old Town in SD and is the “Rock in Lobster Restaurant ” When we moved to San Diego, we joined the Descendents of Early San Diego and did further research for her presentation and this group to learn more about her family tree. I passed that info on to my exhusband, Elianas dad, but not sure that he shared it with his family. By the way the verses that Feliciana sang were full of double entendre. Font was not pleased lol!
Hello Leonor. I’m so sorry I didn’t reply to your message earlier. I’ve been away from my blog for a while. That is super interesting about your daughter and her relation to Maria Feliciana Arballo. Your daughter should be proud; Felicicana was an amazing woman. Yes, Font was not happy with her at all; he argued against her going on the expedition and then her song made him even angrier. 😀 But she brought some fun and happiness to the weary travelers!