12 Juana de Dios Machado de Ridington’s Interview
This is Thomas Savages’s interview of Juana de Dios Machado de Ridington of California in 1878. The first part has her childhood memories of Mexican independence. The second part is about her experiences in the U.S.-Mexico War.
“I Juana de Diós Machado was born in the old presidio of San Diego. I do not remember the day, the month, or the year, but I believe I am about sixty-four years old. My father, José Manuel Machado, was a corporal in the San Diego company. My mother, María Serafina Valdés, was born in Santa Bárbara. I believe that my father was born in Los Ángeles, because his father was also a soldier. I knew my paternal grandfather.
I was married to Dámaso Alipás for five years. My marriage to Dámaso Alipás took place in the presidio on August 22, 1829. Father Antonio Menéndez married us. I had been widowed for four or five years when I married Mr. Thomas Ridington, a native of Massachusetts.
My father was one of the founders of Pala, Las Flores, and Temécula. He also served at San Luis Rey. When I was young, it was customary for the commander of San Diego to assign a sergeant, a corporal, and ten soldiers to Mission San Luis Rey each year. After those troops had served there for a year, they would be relieved by another similar group. After Lieutenant Colonel Echeandía came to govern the country, the mission guard was reduced to a corporal and five soldiers. That same number of troops maintained order at each of the missions from San Gabriel on down.
Later, during General Figueroa’s administration, military headquarters were established at San Gabriel. Lieutenant Colonel Nicolás Gutiérrez was in command at San Gabriel. I was probably about eight to ten years old at that time and still at the old presidio.
When married soldiers like my father served in the mission guard, they would take their families with them. When my dear mother would be far along in a pregnancy and close to giving birth, she would give herself enough time to go to the presidio and stay at the home of Alférez Ignacio Martínez. He was married to Doña María Martina Arellanes. They were my godparents. I was baptized in the same old presidio, where one can still see the ruins of the buildings.
When I was eight or ten years old, my father left to command an expedition of twenty-five men. At that time, he was in charge of the Rancho de la Nación, which belonged to the presidio of San Diego. The purpose of the expedition was to go in pursuit of Indian horse thieves. At that time, three Indian criminals were famous for their offenses. Their names were Martín, Cartucho, and Agustín. Martín and Agustín were most likelt runaway Christian Indians. I do not know about Cartucho. They all came by way of Jacum.
The expedition went as far as the entrance to the Cañón de Jacum, which is a very narrow place. Indian allies of the runaways were on the two hills. However, only the three leaders had been involved in stealing the herd of horses from the Rancho de la Nación. The soldiers managed to catch sight of the horses but were not able to recover them.
My father and his soldiers engaged in a very hard-fought battle with the Indians. Agustín grabbed hold of my father by his braided hair and pulled him down from his horse. Fortunately, one of the soldiers came to my father’s aid. That soldier was José Antonio Silvas, better known as Pico Silvas. My father was then able to take out his knife and bury it in the Indians belly. He ripped out all of his guts and left him for dead. My father also cut off his ears and scalped him, which was what they use to do then. When my father returned, he presented these items to the commander of San Diego. The other Indians fled to the mountains and the herd of horses was lost. The only horse they were able to bring back was the one Agustín was riding.
Shortly before the expedition commanded by my father headed out, I witnessed the changing of the flag. This was when the Spanish flag was lowered, and the Mexican flag was raised in its place. Up until that time, for a number of years the soldiers and their families had suffered many hardships due to a lack of clothing and other things. Supplies from the king were not arriving because of the war of independence in Mexico. However, we did not lack food, because there was an abundance of cattle and other animals. It got to the point that we were used to eating only the finest and most succulent meat. The rest of the meat was thrown away or we would give it to the Indians if they were around. The women had their own shoe-making operation in their homes. They would makes shoes out of scraps of cowhide and fabric. When the ships began to arrive, the hardships experienced because of the huge shortages of necessary goods and luxury items began to lessen. The ships would bring us chocolate, clothing, and other things. But thus was very much toward the end.
The change of flags was in 1822.
Around that same time I met a woman named Apolinaria Lorenzana. Everyone called her “La Beata” or the “Blessed One.” She never married. I know she is still living in Santa Bárbara at the home of Doña Trinidad Noriega. Doña Apolinaria arrived from Mexico with two other girls named Valenciana and Mariana. They were foundling children that the viceroy’s government sent to California. Valenciana and Mariana married and had large families. Doña Apolinaria dedicated her life to serving the Church and taking care of the Fathers at Mission San Diego At the mission, parents would ask her if she would please teach their children how to read and write. She did not have a formal school but would dedicate as much time as she could to teaching. She was the godmother to a large number of children, as much to children of gente de razón as to Indian children. Apolinaria Lorenzana was also a healer or curandera who treated the sick.
The change of flags was as follows. A señor canónigo named Don Valenín Fernández de San Vicente arrived from the north. I do not remember if he came by land or by sea. This man had been sent here by the Mexican Empire to establish the new order of things. He brought a chaplain or secretary with him; I am not sure what he was, because I do not remember ever seeing him dressed as a priest. I remember well that the canónigo’s attire was really very striking and colorful. His outfit was reddish in color. Whenever some woman or girl would be taken aback by the splendor and colors of the outfit, she would ask “Who is that man?” Someone would answer, “ the canónigo.” Such a person had never been seen before in California. He and his companion stayed up at the home of the commander, Captain Francisco María Ruiz. He had been commander for many years.
The infantry, cavalry, and a few artillerymen were ordered to line up in formation in the presidio plaza. They placed the cannons outside the plaza, at the gate of the guardhouse, so that they would face the ocean. There was no flag pole. A corporal or a soldier held the Spanish flag in one hand and the Mexican flag in the other. Both of the flags were attached to little sticks. In the presence of Officer Don José María Estudillo, Commander Ruiz gave the cry “Long Live the Mexican Empire!” Then the Spanish flag was lowered and the Mexican flag was raised amidst salvos of artillery and fusillade. After this, the soldiers received nothing.
The next day, the soldiers were order to cut off their braids. This produced a very unfavorable reaction in everyone – men and women alike. The men were used to wearing their hair long and braided At the tip of the braid would be a ribbon or silk knot. On many men, the braid went past their waist. It was quite similar to the way the Chinese wore their hair. The only difference was that they did not shave any part of their hair like the Chinese did.
The order was carried out I remember when my father arrived home with his braid in his hand. He gave it to my mother. My mother’s face was not any better. She would look at the braid and cry.
Part Two: The U.S.-Mexico War
The Americans took over this country in 1846 while (Pío) Pico was governor.
(U.S. Army General John) Frémont was here with his people for two or three days and the went to Los Ángeles. In that same year, 1846, things happened in Los Ángeles. Commodore Stockton arrived from San Pedro with his forces and took the plaza with no opposition. He remained there for a few days and left behind a garrison under the command of Gillespie, much like the garrison that was left in Santa Bárbara and the one that was here in San Diego. The Californios forced Gillespie to abandon Los Ángeles and retreat to San Pedro, where he boarded ship.
Captain Mervin attempted to march from Los Ángeles from San Pedro with some seamen and sailors, but Don José Antonio Carrillo and his troops forced him to return his ship with some casualties.
Gillespie came to San Diego, and from here, Commodore Stockton dispatched him with thirty-five or forty men to go and meet up with General Kearny. They received word that Kearny was with a small force at San Felipe, near Agua Caliente. This information came to them from a man who had obtained it from the Indians. Gillespie reunited with Kearny at Santa María and from there they went down to San Pascual. There they met up with a small force of Californio soldier led by Don Andrés Pico. Kearny was beaten. He and Gillespie were injured. Two captains and many soldiers were killed. Since many others were inured, they had to retreat to the Cerro de las Piedras on this side of San Pascual. There, the Californios tried to surround him. Kearny and his men continued fighting, while retreating, until they arrived at Los Peñasquitos. His troops were not bothered by the enemy there. It is said that during those days of combat, Kearny and his people had to eat mule meat. This is quite possible, for the Californio cavalry cut off their supplies. Nevertheless, they managed to communicate with the port of San Diego and they were sent reinforcements. They retreated to San Diego with the reinforcements without difficulty.
A few days before the Battle at San Pascual, eleven Californios were murdered by Indians at the Arroyo de los Álamos. They retreated to that spot with their few belongings so as to not take part in the war between the Americans and the Calfiornios. I believe this happened in November. The names of the Californios who perished in that massacre were Francisco Basualdo, Ramón Aguilar, Santos Alipás, Domínguez, Santiago Osuna, José María Alvarado, José López, Manuel Serrano, Eustaquio Ruiz, Juan de la Cruz, and one more whose name I cannot remember.
At the end of December, Commodore Stockton and General Jearny left San Diego and headed to Los Ángeles with about six hundred men. At the Paso de Bárolo and at La Mesa (January 8 and 9, 1847) they engaged in battles with the Californios and the Americans were triumphant. On January 10 they entered Los Ángeles without further resistance, and a few days later, Don Andrés Pico surrendered to Colonel Frémont at San Fernando, Since then, this country has been under the flag of the United States.
