Don Felipe Antonio de Goicoechea was born in 1747 in Cosalá,

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He joined the Spanish military at age 35 as a cadet. In June 1782, was promoted to alférez. In 1783 while serving in the presidial company of Buenavista (Lower California), Don Felipe was commissioned as lieutenant and received orders to proceed to

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

to take command of the Presidio of Santa Barbara. He assumed command in Santa Bárbara on January 25, 1784, taking over from José Francisco Ortega. He supervised construction of the fortifications and living quarters for the soldiers and their families and remained in command until 1802. The Presidio was built based on designs he drew up in 1788. In 1805 he was appointed governor of the province of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

, but did not assume office until 1806. He held that position until his death in 1814 at Loreto, Baja California Sur.

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