María Rita Valdez (c. 1791–1854)[1][2] also known asMaria Rita Valdez Villa, was anCalifornio rancher andfarmer. Her 4,500-acre ranch,El Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas, later became theLos Angeles County city ofBeverly Hills.[3][4]
Valdez was born inNew Spain in about 1791 to Sebastiana and Eugenio Valdez.[4] Her mother was the daughter ofLuis and Maria Quintero, two of the original settlers ofPueblo de Los Angeles (present-dayLos Angeles, California).[3][5] Her great-grandfather was an enslaved African.[4]
Maria married Spanish soldier, Vicente Fernando Villa, in 1808. The couple had three children.[4]
In the 1830s, after her husband's death, Valdez was granted the roughly 4,500-acreEl Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas where she ran a cattle ranch, farm and garden. Her adobe was located at what is now Alpine Drive andSunset Boulevard.[3] Valdez had paid employees, most of whom were native to the area.[4]
In 1854, Valdez sold the ranch to investorsHenry Hancock andBenjamin D. Wilson for $4,000.[3]
The Beverly Hills Hotel now stands near the site of her home. A nearby plaque commemorates Valdez and her ranch.[4]