The spring was known to prehistoric people and animals but the name aguaje, meaning watering place, comes from Spanish–Mexican era of California history.

Around 1870, the West Basin communities of Inglewood and Long Beach began to tap artesian wells and springs in the area of the Newport-Inglewood Uplift.”[4] According to a latter-day Inglewood water engineer, “The largest Centinela spring was located near the present site of the swimming pool” at Centinela Park.

[9] A book about California produced for the 1893 World's Fair reported, “[The town of Inglewood] is well-supplied with water from the celebrated Centinela springs, which is distributed by gravity, all over the townsite through an elaborate system of pipes.”[10] More wells were dug in 1895: “Mr.

D. Freeman has just completed two wells north of his ranch house, and is now developing more artesian water at Centinela springs.

[4] At the time of the placement of the California Historic Landmark recognition in 1970, Inglewood's chief water engineer reported that none of the existing wells were deep enough to reach whatever remained of the aquifer below the park.