- Term
Candelaria Valenzuela
- Alternate Term
Valenzuela, Candelaria
Rios, Candelaria
- Occupation/Role
basket weaver
- Nationality/Ethnicity
Chumash
- Geography
Fillmore, CA
- Date
circa 1847-1917
circa 1847-1917
circa 1847-1917
- Remarks
Candelaria Valenzuela was born circa 1847 on Lord's Creek, north of the Sespe railroad station, near today's Fillmore, Ventura County, California. She was a member of the Sespe Chumash. In her early life she lived the San Buenaventura Mission. She died in 1917, apparently from burns sustained during a fire on Nick Peirano’s ranch (now the northern part of Lake Casitas) and died shortly after. Candelaria and her husband lived and worked on the Peirano ranch. According to the information in Native American Basketry of Southern California at her death at age 79, she was the last living Chumash basketmaker. A number of her baskets are also in the Ventura Country Historical Museum.
- See Also