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MINE: El Despojo de María Zacarías Bernal de Berreyesa
“Clendenen’s masterful skill as a vivid writer brings María Zacarías Bernal Berreyesa to life. Not only is the book well-researched and accurate, the work is deeply personal. There is an emphasis on the natural environment, then and now, which tethers us across generations.” - Judge Paul Bernal, Official Historian of the City of San Jose, California
María Zacarías Bernal was born in 1791 at the presidio of San Francisco and was married at fourteen to leatherjacket soldier José de los Reyes Berreyesa. As a mother of thirteen, she lived on Rancho San Vicente, a cattle ranch in the foothills of San José, from 1834 through the California Gold Rush eras.
Like most Californios, Zacarías spent years defending her claim, and ended up losing her land. But she lost far more than a ranch. She lost ten of eleven beloved men, seven of them violently; the first was murdered by one American “hero” on the orders of another. Because her land held the New Almaden quicksilver mine—increasingly valuable because mercury helped refine gold—her battle over boundaries went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The case made national news for a year, despite the competing news of the US Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln even sent men to her land to take over the mine, though they were thwarted by sharpshooting miners.
Zacarías’s tragic tale of murder, betrayal, and theft is told through the author’s shared experiences of place, most often on the still-wild Rancho San Vicente near her home. MINE ’s lyrical blend of in situ nature writing and biography is a journey across landscapes that unite two women born centuries and cultures apart. It brings untaught California history to light, and it restores a voice to María Zacarías, who deserves to be heard. “Clendenen has given Zacarias lyrical life through the pages of MINE, a recounting of a Californio woman who confronted and survived the heartbreaking challenges thrown to her. MINE is not merely a biography; it is a weaving of life, history, and nature found in Mexican-era California and allows the reader to "touch" the past. A brilliant effort...” – Reader Review
María Zacarías Bernal was born in 1791 at the presidio of San Francisco and was married at fourteen to leatherjacket soldier José de los Reyes Berreyesa. As a mother of thirteen, she lived on Rancho San Vicente, a cattle ranch in the foothills of San José, from 1834 through the California Gold Rush eras.
Like most Californios, Zacarías spent years defending her claim, and ended up losing her land. But she lost far more than a ranch. She lost ten of eleven beloved men, seven of them violently; the first was murdered by one American “hero” on the orders of another. Because her land held the New Almaden quicksilver mine—increasingly valuable because mercury helped refine gold—her battle over boundaries went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The case made national news for a year, despite the competing news of the US Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln even sent men to her land to take over the mine, though they were thwarted by sharpshooting miners.
Zacarías’s tragic tale of murder, betrayal, and theft is told through the author’s shared experiences of place, most often on the still-wild Rancho San Vicente near her home. MINE ’s lyrical blend of in situ nature writing and biography is a journey across landscapes that unite two women born centuries and cultures apart. It brings untaught California history to light, and it restores a voice to María Zacarías, who deserves to be heard. “Clendenen has given Zacarias lyrical life through the pages of MINE, a recounting of a Californio woman who confronted and survived the heartbreaking challenges thrown to her. MINE is not merely a biography; it is a weaving of life, history, and nature found in Mexican-era California and allows the reader to "touch" the past. A brilliant effort...” – Reader Review
234 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 6, 2020
MINE is the story of two women, their shared homes, and the nearly two hundred years that separate them. This moving account of María Zacarías Bernal de Berryessa and Jenny Clendenen weaves together universal and very personal threads that are relatable to people from very different times and cultures. Despite their two lives being in totally different centuries, the shared space, Rancho San Vicente, knits their stories together.
Based on historical research and a bit of imaginative filling, Jenny is able to reconstruct the life of a long-forgotten-now-resurrected figure in California history. María Zacarías Bernal married into the prominent Berryessa family at the age of fourteen and went on to be the matriarch of one of the most prominent California families. From immense wealth to their downfall at the hands of Euro-Americans during the 1840s and 1850s, she saw her life completely transformed. Ultimately, she was buried in an unmarked grave, her memory kept by only a few faith family historians.
There’s an old Mexican proverb that says the ultimate and most permanent form of death is when there is no one left to remember you. Jenny has resurrected María Zacarías Bernal and breathed new life into her through personal twenty-first century experiences. For anyone wanting to catch but a small but meaningful glimpse into the lives of two extraordinary woman, this is the book to read.
Based on historical research and a bit of imaginative filling, Jenny is able to reconstruct the life of a long-forgotten-now-resurrected figure in California history. María Zacarías Bernal married into the prominent Berryessa family at the age of fourteen and went on to be the matriarch of one of the most prominent California families. From immense wealth to their downfall at the hands of Euro-Americans during the 1840s and 1850s, she saw her life completely transformed. Ultimately, she was buried in an unmarked grave, her memory kept by only a few faith family historians.
There’s an old Mexican proverb that says the ultimate and most permanent form of death is when there is no one left to remember you. Jenny has resurrected María Zacarías Bernal and breathed new life into her through personal twenty-first century experiences. For anyone wanting to catch but a small but meaningful glimpse into the lives of two extraordinary woman, this is the book to read.
June 2, 2021
This was more the story of the author's research into the life of Maria Zacarias Bernal than a fictionalized account of Zacarias' life. I appreciated the different approach to the story; although I occasionally felt a little lost in the time period.
I loved the setting, and the way the author brought the setting to life! And I loved learning more about the period of time just before and during the Bear Flag Revolt. Like the author, my state history education touched on the indigenous tribes that were in the area and jumped straight to missions and orchards. I totally missed the bit about the original ranchers, and the whole mercury mining era. All in all a fascinating read about this lesser known era in state history.
I loved the setting, and the way the author brought the setting to life! And I loved learning more about the period of time just before and during the Bear Flag Revolt. Like the author, my state history education touched on the indigenous tribes that were in the area and jumped straight to missions and orchards. I totally missed the bit about the original ranchers, and the whole mercury mining era. All in all a fascinating read about this lesser known era in state history.
August 2, 2020
My mama’s heart is still aching a bit after finishing this beautifully tragic book about Maria Zacarias, one of the earliest settlers of the Bay Area.
This year seems to be the year of education, enlightenment, grief...bringing a realignment of our true priorities. This historical account of the injustices that American pioneers and other greedy “gold rushers” inflicted on Zacarias, her family, and the other early inhabitants of the area, is hard to read, but so important as we try to come to terms with the bleak truth of our actual past.
This year seems to be the year of education, enlightenment, grief...bringing a realignment of our true priorities. This historical account of the injustices that American pioneers and other greedy “gold rushers” inflicted on Zacarias, her family, and the other early inhabitants of the area, is hard to read, but so important as we try to come to terms with the bleak truth of our actual past.
December 4, 2020
I love this book. It was highly sensory and colorful, lyrical and contemporary but you could tell the historical details were meticulously researched. But even more, parts of Maria Zacarias' story have been haunting me in the months since I read it. That's a good book. And anyone form the Bay Area has a good chance of recognizing their favorite spots.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews