Valdez was born in
New Spain in about 1791 to Sebastiana and Eugenio Valdez. Her great-grandfather was an enslaved African. Maria married Spanish soldier, Vicente Fernando Villa, in 1808. The couple had three children. In the 1830s, after her husband's death, Valdez was granted the roughly 4,500-acre
El Rancho Rodeo de las Aguas where she ran a cattle ranch, farm and garden. Her adobe was located at what is now Alpine Drive and
Sunset Boulevard. Valdez had paid employees, most of whom were native to the area. In 1854, Valdez sold the ranch to investors
Henry Hancock and
Benjamin D. Wilson for $4,000.
The Beverly Hills Hotel now stands near the site of her home. A nearby plaque commemorates Valdez and her ranch. == References ==