Pioneer City Official of Los Angeles, California. A prosperous merchant from the Yucatan Peninsula, he came to Los Angeles in 1834. Quickly establishing himself as a community leader, he served as alcalde, or mayor, of the pueblo in 1836 and 1844. He was the equivalent of a Justice of the Peace, and he was later known as Judge Requena. In 1850 he was a founding member of the Common Council, which was the forerunner of the Los Angeles City Council, serving four consecutive terms. In 1852 he was a founding member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He helped to establish the Spring Street School in 1855, which was the first public school in Los Angeles, located at Second and Spring streets. As President of the City Council, in September of 1856 he served as acting Mayor of Los Angeles for eleven days after Mayor Stephen C. Foster briefly resigned. In business he was a vintner, farmer, and a retail merchant, with large parcels of land in the city. In his later years he bought and sold real estate. Husband of Gertrudes Guirado, at the time of their deaths they reportedly had no surviving children. Requena Street, between Spring and Main streets, was named in his honor, which later became Market Street and today no longer exists. His remains were possibly reinterred in New Calvary Cemetery after 1896.
Pioneer City Official of Los Angeles, California. A prosperous merchant from the Yucatan Peninsula, he came to Los Angeles in 1834. Quickly establishing himself as a community leader, he served as alcalde, or mayor, of the pueblo in 1836 and 1844. He was the equivalent of a Justice of the Peace, and he was later known as Judge Requena. In 1850 he was a founding member of the Common Council, which was the forerunner of the Los Angeles City Council, serving four consecutive terms. In 1852 he was a founding member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He helped to establish the Spring Street School in 1855, which was the first public school in Los Angeles, located at Second and Spring streets. As President of the City Council, in September of 1856 he served as acting Mayor of Los Angeles for eleven days after Mayor Stephen C. Foster briefly resigned. In business he was a vintner, farmer, and a retail merchant, with large parcels of land in the city. In his later years he bought and sold real estate. Husband of Gertrudes Guirado, at the time of their deaths they reportedly had no surviving children. Requena Street, between Spring and Main streets, was named in his honor, which later became Market Street and today no longer exists. His remains were possibly reinterred in New Calvary Cemetery after 1896.
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