Benicia’s namesake, Doña Francisca Maria Felipa Benicia Carrillo De Vallejo, was 15 when she met her husband, General Mariano Vallejo, and 17 when they wed. She was an independent, religious and devoted mother of 16 children. Six children died at birth or in childhood. They adopted another two children fathered by the General. Robert Semple, anxious to form a city on the north shore of the Carquinez Strait, was deeded the land by General Vallejo on the condition that he name it after Vallejo’s wife. Semple honored the agreement naming his new city, Francisca, to not only honor Vallejo’s wife but also after the Bay of San Francisco. He was forced to change the name of the town to one of her middle names, Benicia, when the small village, Yerba Buena, announced it was changing its name to San Francisco. Vallejo’s wife happily accepted Benicia and chose to be called by that name, becoming known as Doña Benicia. This mural depicts an older Doña Benicia with a pensive gaze. The birds and flowers may represent her children. Her full name would have included her maiden name of Carrillo. The Carrillo name was prominent in early California history.