José Félix Esquivel y Aldao (11 October 1785 - 19 January 1845) was an Argentine Dominican friar and soldier who became a general and then the undisputed Federist caudillo of Mendoza Province. His ability as a warrior and his cruelty became legendary. The largely fictionalized biography that Domingo Faustino Sarmiento wrote fed his legend. An effective ruler, he did much for his province, but was also one of the cruelest of the federalist leaders.