Concepción Argüello

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María Concepción Argüello (February 19, 1791 - December 23, 1857), was the daughter of José Darío Argüello, the Spanish governor of Alta California and Presidio Commandante.

Many called Concepción Argüello the most beautiful woman ever born in California. No picture of her is known to exist.

She was born 1791 at the Presidio of San Francisco.

At the age of 15 she fell in love with Nikolai Rezanov, head of Russian expedition to Alaska. His expedition had hard times in California and his involvement with Argüello was first motivated by practical considerations since the Spanish Crown did not permit any help to Russians. But later on all practical considerations went away and Nikolai went to Russia to ask permission of the tsar for him to be able to marry Concepcion. But during his trip he fell from horseback, became sick and died. He is buried in Siberian city of Ekaterinburg.

Argüello never learned his fate and continued to wait for him till the end of her life, rejecting all other men. Later she became a nun in Monterey, California and remained in the sisterhood until her death, afterwards moving to Benicia, California.

Argüello died 1857 and is buried in Saint Dominic's Cemetery, Benicia, where her remains were moved from another cemetery. A monument marks her grave.