José de la Rosa

Who is José de la Rosa?

José de la Rosa was a Mexican composer, printer, singer and guitarist who moved to California in 1833, where he became known as Don Pepe. He may have also been the first professional printer in Californian history. He was Alcalde of Sonoma, California, for a time, and played a role in the 1846 Bear Flag rebellion, wherein he assisted in assuring the release of Mariano Vallejo. Rosa documented the oldest-known transcription of Mexican-Californian song lyrics, in a notebook that is now archived in the Southwestern Museum.