More than 50 people from Pascual/Marquez family are buried in this peaceful graveyard located in a residential area in Santa Monica Canyon.
Canyon Elementary School fourth graders learned about local history by visiting the Pascual Marquez Cemetery on December 11.
The cemetery, which is calm and restful, has handmade crosses. It almost seems out of place in the upscale Santa Monica Canyon neighborhood and the homes that surround it.
The grave sites are not open to the public, because of a lawsuit that ultimately allowed the easement on Lorenzo Street in Santa Monica Canyon: the family is only allowed six events a year. The fourth grade field trip is considered one event.
The late Ernie Marquez worked to save his family cemetery from developers and fought in court for an easement. In 2005, Los Angeles Superior Court judge decided in Marquez’s favor.
Most of the crosses had washed away in the 1938 flood. Once the family had regained its cemetery, it was unclear where the bodies were buried.
In 2007, Canyon fourth graders helped UCLA’s Dr. Dean Goodman run ground-penetrating radar imaging equipment to find the graves. Forensic dogs were also brought to the site and the two methods completely concurred about where people were buried. There are about 50 people buried in the small plot of land.
In addition to the family, Kit Carson’s son Sam and his dog are also buried in the cemetery. The last person buried there was Pascual Marquez, in 1916.
“They buried him in the same angle as the bed in house,” Sharon Kilbride said, who also attended Canyon School, and still lives in the Canyon on the last original residential parcel of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica land grant.
Although Marquez was in his 90s, his daughter Monica said that he handmade all of the crosses now found in this graveyard.
Marquez, who died at 99 in January 2024, two months before his 100th birthday, annually attended the Canyon Elementary field trip. He grew up in the Canyon and for more than 50 years, he acquired historic photos and wrote books about the area. Kilbride said “He loved Canyon School and always said the happiest years of his life were when he attended that school [1930-1936].
He was cremated and his ashes will be buried in the cemetery, once his cross is completed.
Ernest Marquez showed students native plants at the graveyard site.
As part of the field trip, Marquez’ son, Ernesto, introduced the about 60 students to native plants located on the grounds and spoke of their importance. He held up a piece of a prickly cactus and asked the students what it was used for by the Tongva.
“They took the thorns off and ate it,” one guessed. Another student opined that “you could break it and get water.”
“You could cut all the thorns off and use this plant for medicine,” Ernest told students. “What do you do with the thorns?”
Students seemed stumped. Ernesto gave them a clue, “The thorns are not for making clothes. What is the one thing your parents don’t want you to get until you’re older?”
A student shouting, “pierced ears!” It turns out the needles were used to make tattoos.
He then showed the students a Toyon bush, which had red berries and could be mashed for a drink; the leaves could be used for tea; and the wood for arrows and harpoons. He told the students that the Tungva were largely peaceful and the instruments they made were for hunting, not fighting.
Ernesto showed them a black sage plant, which was used as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. “I just planted a white sage, which was used for religious ceremonies,” he said and asked the students to guess what the smoke was used for.
Ernesto Marquez shows a white sage that he planted.
“Mosquitos?” was one guess, “flies” was another guess. Ernesto explained “the smoke was used to keep out evil spirits.”
Marquez’s daughter Monica spoke about the requirements for a land grant from Mexico. Those who received them, 1) promised to raise cattle, 2) build a house, 3) be a Catholic and 4) be a good citizen.
She explained how the land grant which ran from Topanga Road to Montana Avenue and then east was measured. Two men on horseback, each held a long pole that was connected with long buckskin ropes of 100 varas (a vara was about a yard).
The first horseman put his pole into the sand and the second then rode as far as the rope would permit and placed his pole in the sand. They repeated this action until the entire 6656-acre area was mapped.
In addition to sixth generation Marquez descendants Sharon Kilbride, Ernesto and Monica, a seventh-generation member Courtney brought four young people who are eighth generation family members Ashley, Andrew, Audrey and Gavin to the presentation. The young people will at some point be responsible for their family graveyard.
This was the first field trip the elder Marquez had not overseen in 18 years. Kilbride said, “We all felt that Ernie’s spirit was with us today and he would have been proud.”
This is a list of the people, adults, infants, buried in the graveyard.