Diputación de Alta California | |
|---|---|
| Alta California | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1822[1] |
| Disbanded | 1837 |
| Succeeded by | Diputación de las Californias |
| Structure | |
Length of term | Two years |
| Meeting place | |
| Monterey,Alta California[1] | |
TheExcelentísima Diputación de Alta California (Spanish for "Most Excellent Deputation of Upper California) was theunicamerallegislature ofAlta California, during its period as aMexican territory. It was the first legislature of what is nowCalifornia.[2]
Alta California was supposed to have formed aprovincial diputación while still part of the Spanish Empire, when the 1812Constitution of Cádiz was officially received and enacted in Alta California in 1820.[3] However, GovernorPablo Vicente de Solá believed that Alta California was not sufficiently developed or ready to govern itself, and thus a diputación was never formed during Spanish rule in California.[3]
The Diputación de Alta California was finally created in the aftermath of theWar of Mexican Independence and California's separation from theSpanish Empire in 1822.[1]
In 1827, the diputación voted to change the name of Alta California to "Moctezuma", to honor the famedAztec Emperor and the nascent Mexican independence, but this decision was overturned by the MexicanCongress of the Union.[4] At the same time,vocalJuan Bandini proposed the renaming of theLos Ángeles to "Victoria de Los Ángeles", which similarly was approved by the diputación but rejected by the Mexican Congress.[5]
Following the death of GovernorJosé Figueroa in 1835,Carlos Antonio Carrillo, who served representing Alta California in theCongress of the Union in Mexico City, announced that the diputación would move its location from Monterey to Los Angeles.[2] However, the diputación ignored Carrillo's announcement and did not move itself from Monterey and awaited the arrival of the newly-appointed governor,Mariano Chico.[2]
Governor Chico's tenure was short lived, owing to theCalifornio resistance to Mexico City's appointed governor and the subsequent rebellion led byJuan Bautista Alvarado, a member of the diputación representing Monterey, who convinced the diputación to issue theDeclaration of Independence of Alta California from Mexico on November 3, 1836.[1]
With the reunification ofAlta California andBaja California into a single territory known as theDepartment of the Californias on 10 December 1836, the diputación was dissolved with the creation of the Junta Departamental, more commonly known as theDiputación de las Californias.[6]
The diputación was made up of 7 members (vocales), as well as a secretary in charge of calling votes and recording legislative logs. Each member represented one of the 4presidio military districts or the 3civilian pueblos:[7]
Members of the diputación were elected by the localayuntamiento (municipal government) of the civilian pueblos or appointed by the presidingCommandant of the presidios.[4] Substitutes (suplentes) were chosen as alternate members, to serve in the diputación when a member was otherwise unable.
| Members (Vocales) of the Diputación de Alta California | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Constituency | Tenure | Notes | References |
| Pío Pico | Los Angeles | 1828-1834 1845 | SeniorVocal of the diputación in 1831-1832. | [8] |
| José Castro | Monterey | 1824-1825 1833-1836 | SeniorVocal of the diputación in 1835.Suplente in 1822. | [8] |
| Juan Bautista Alvarado | 1834-1836 | SeniorVocal of the diputación in 1836. | ||
| Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo | San Francisco | 1830-1832 | [9][10] | |
| José Tiburcio Castro | Monterey | 1828-1831 | ||
| Antonio María Osio | 1830-1832 | [10] | ||
| José Joaquín Ortega | San Diego | 1830-1834 | [10] | |
| Juan Bandini | San Diego | 1827-1828 1845-1846 | [5] | |
| Manuel Jimeno Casarín | 1834-1835 1839-1842 | [10] | ||
| José Ramón Estrada | 1837 | [11] | ||
| Tiburcio Tapía | 1827 1833 | [11][10] | ||
| Francisco María Ortega | 1822-1824 | [11] | ||
| Carlos Antonio Carrillo | 1828 1833-1835 | [11] | ||
| Juan Bautista Alvarado | 1839 | Cousin of similarly-namedJuan Bautista Alvarado. | [11] | |
| Carlos Antonio Castro | 1822-1825 1830 | Substituted by Ignacio López in 1822.Suplente in 1822 and 1839. | [11] | |
| Francisco María Castro | 1822-1825 | [11][10] | ||
| José Aruz | 1822 | [10] | ||
| Ignacio López | 1822 | [10] | ||
| José Antonio Carrillo | Los Angeles | 1822-1824 1828 1833-1834 | [11] | |
| José Palomares | Los Angeles | 1822 | [10] | |
| José Mariano Estrada | 1827 | [10] | ||
| Ygnacio Martínez | 1827 | [10] | ||
| Antonio María Ortega | 1827 | [10] | ||
| Antonio Buelna | 1827-1830 1834-1835 | [10] | ||
| Anastasio Carrillo | 1827-1828 | [10] | ||
| Vicente Sánchez | 1828 | [10] | ||
| Salvio Pacheco | 1830 | Suplente in 1834-1835. | [10] | |
| Santiago Argüello | 1832 | [10] | ||
| Tomás Yorba | 1832 | [10] | ||
| Francisco de Haro | 1833-1834 | [10] | ||
| José Antonio Estudillo | 1833-1835 | [10] | ||
| Rafael Gómez | 1836 | [10] | ||
| David Spence | 1836 | [10] | ||
| Manuel Crespo | 1836 | [10] | ||
| Joaquín Gómez | 1836 | [10] | ||
| José de la Guerra y Noriega | 1836 | [10] | ||
| Secretaries of the Diputación de Alta California | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | Notes | References | |
| Francisco de Haro | 1822-1823 | [10] | ||
| José Joaquín de la Torre | 1824-1825 | [10] | ||
| Juan Bautista Alvarado | 1827-1834 | [11] | ||
| Agustín V. Zamorano | 1834 | [10] | ||
| José M. Maldonado | 1834-1835 | [10] | ||
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