Background
Aguirre was born in San Sebastián, Spain, but left for North America at the age of 15, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Aguirre was born in San Sebastián, Spain, but left for North America at the age of 15, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He became a citizen of first Mexico and then the United States as national powers rose and fell on the continent. He was a merchant in Guaymas, Mexico, then moved to Alta California, becoming a shipowner and trader. He divided his residence between San Diego and Santa Barbara, where he was said in 1842 to own the finest residence in town.
He established a warehouse at Louisiana Playa, the beach near San Diego where ships would anchor for trading.
He exported hides and tallow from San Diego, while importing luxury goods for the Californios such as silks, satins and embroidered shawls. He soon became one of the most prosperous merchants in Alta California.
Aguirre was never to live there again, although he maintained ownership of the house. He took to trading up and down the coast and spent more and more of his time in San Diego.
Aguirre received half of the Rancho El Tejon Mexican land grant in 1843.
They were generally referred to as Don Antonio and Doña Rosario. Their San Diego home was completed in 1851. Aguirre also owned portions of Santa Cruz Island and Rancho San Pedro, making him one of the largest landowners in Alta California in the late 1840s.
In 1853, José Antonio Aguirre bought Rancho San Jacinto Nuevo y Potrero from the estate of Miguel Pedrorena.
In 1850, Aguirre joined William Heath Davis and Miguel Pedrorena (who was married to another Estudillo sister, Antonia) in an attempt to establish a new town, south of the existing town of San Diego and closer to the San Diego Bay. In 1858, Aguirre bought the land and paid for the construction of an adobe church in San Diego.
At the time there were only private chapels (in Casa de Estudillo and Casa de Aguirre) since the Presidio church and the Mission church were both in ruins. José Antonio Aguirre died July 31, 1860.
He was buried in the confessional of the church he had donated to the town.
His San Diego home, Casa de Aguirre, still stands in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. lieutenant has been restored and contains museum displays and a gift shop. The church he built, known as the Old Adobe Chapel, was bulldozed in the 1930s due to street realignment, but was rebuilt in 1937.
lieutenant contains many artifacts from the original chapel including Aguirre"s tombstone.