page_title: Mariana W. de Coronel
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Mariana W. de Coronel / Career
caption_attribution_description: English: Home of Dr. C. Edgar Smith &amp; Mariana de Smith
context_page_description: Mariana W. de Coronel was an American collector of Native American and Mexican curios and antiques. These were gathered during the course of many years, the largest and most valuable collection of historical materials of its kind in the United States.
context_section_description: In 1873, she married Don Antonio F. Coronel (1817–1894), a Californio, and one of the most prominent participants in the early history of Los Angeles, having served as the city's Mayor, as well as State Treasurer. For many years, by travel in Mexico and California, and by correspondence, the husband and wife collected Native American and Mexican curiosities, developing one of the best private collections in Los Angeles. Having from infancy been familiar with the English and Spanish languages, Coronel spoke them with equal fluency, and her knowledge of both aided her materially while collecting her curios. The collection included the carefully preserved school books used in the pioneer school established in Los Angeles by her father-in-law, Ygnacio Coronel.
  The Coronels were deeply interested in the Mission Indians of California, having joined with their friend, Helen Hunt Jackson, in aiding this group. It was at the suggestion of Coronel that Jackson made the Rancho Camulos hacienda the scene of action of her Ramona novel. In 1887, the Coronels visited Mexico City, and in 1893, they went to the World's Fair at Chicago, where their stay was cut short by Antonio's illness, and subsequent death the following year.
  After Antonio's death, Coronel superintended the estate, which included valuable property in Los Angeles and a ranch of 650 acres (260 ha) at Whittier, besides important mining interests in Aliso Canon and Oaxaca, Mexico. She presented the collection they had enmassed to the city of Los Angeles, and it went on exhibit in the Chamber of Commerce. Since 1961, the collection has been held by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 
  She again married, December 28, 1895, to Dr. C. Edgar Smith of Los Angeles, thereafter being known as Mrs. de Smith. They divorced five years later. Later photographs dating to 1913 refer to “Mariana Coronel de Dominguez”, which may be evidence of a third marriage. She died in 1925. Among the numerous organizations with which she was actively connected were the Indians Rights Association, the Southern California Historical Society, Ladies' Aid Society, Children's Home Society, Society of Los Angeles Pioneers, and others.
caption: Smith home
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