Bust of Rafael Castro above his grave. Born in 1803, Rafael became owner of Rancho Aptos (Marcel's Forest was part of this parcel), when his father, Joaquin Castro, divided up his land among some of his children. Martina Castro, Rafael's younger half-sister, received land which includes the majority of what is now Nisene Marks State Park. The Soquel quadrangle map by the U.S. Geological Survey still shows the "Shoquel Augmentation" land grant boundary, the second and the largest parcel of land that Martina Castro inherited. Rafael Castro died in 1878.
The Spanish word for "rancho" designated that the land was intended for raising cattle while the word "hacienda" meant that the land was for growing crops. Rafael's Rancho Aptos cattle brand is reported to have been an inverted triangle, similar to the above symbol.
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