Dear Members,

I received an email today from Michael Araiza, that spurred me to revisit the Araiza-Medina line.  He sent me the link to a marriage between Hernando de Arayze (yes, with an “e”) and María de Gusman in 1592, inquiring if it might fit the timeline for the marriage of Fernando de Araiza and María de Guzmán, parents of Juan de Araiza y Medina (d. 1665).  My answer is long, but the short answer, is yes, I do indeed think if fits the timeline. 

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-DXXC?i=304&wc=3P8Q-6TL%3A122652201%2C132529401%3Fcc%3D1615259&cc=1615259

The main problem with this document is that it took place in Mexico City, and we had not previously had any link of the Araizas to Mexico City.  So, I started doing some research.  PARES yielded nothing, sadly.  However, in familysearch and in my own document repository I found a couple things that may help make the connection.  

I found the marriage of a Josephe de Arayça to Juana Martínez in 1623, and it turns out, he is the son of Hernando de Arayça and María de Guzmán.  This marriage took place in Mexico City, but Joseph is listed as “natural de la ciudad de çacatecas.”  I am therefore fully convinced that Joseph is the son of our Fernando de Araiza and María de Guzmán. This would mean that the Araizas did have some tie between Mexico City and Zacatecas. This also means that Juan de Araiza y Medina (?-1665) had a full brother we did not know about!

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-85SL-R?i=228&wc=3PZ1-2NP%3A122585001%2C132377901%3Fcc%3D1615259&cc=1615259

Looking back at Juan de Araiza´s will, it does say, and Michael Araiza pointed out some time back, that Juan de Araiza Medina had a slave named Nicolasa, who was 28-30 years of age in 1665, whom he inherited from his grandparents when she was four years old.  “Y ten para cumplir y pagar este mi testam^to. Declaro por mis bienes a una negra llamada Nicolassa de edad de Beinte y ocho a treinta años la qual [h]erede de mis aguelos que tendría entonces quatro años” (page 3 of Juan de Araiza y Medina’s will). This would suggest that his grandparents died around 24 years before 1665, so around 1640. Which set of grandparents, we do not know.  However, the other thing this shows, I think, is that Juan de Araiza’s grandparents lived in the new world!

So, now that we do have a documented link between the Fernando de Araiza from Zacatecas and Mexico City, I think we can accept that the marriage of Hernando de Arayza and María de Guzmán in 1592 in Mexico City, as the marriage we have all been looking for at least a decade!  It took place 23 Feb 1592.

Here is the link, and my transcription:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-DXXC?i=304&wc=3P8Q-6TL%3A122652201%2C132529401%3Fcc%3D1615259&cc=1615259

[Al margen] “Hernan.do de arayze y doña ma- de gusman

En beinte y tres de febrero de mill y qui^os y nobenta y dos yo goncalo fernandes aviendo echo 

una amonestación y con ma. Del governandor En las da y amonestaciones y dispensasion despose por palabras de presente en su casa a her^do. De arayze  hijo de Antonio de arayze y de Beatriz peres con

doña maría de gusmá hija de diego desquibel y de fran^ca de gusman vz^os desta ciudad hizieronse las amonestaciones y no ubo ynpedimento siendo t^os Joan guerero y Joan de medina Sebastian reyes fran^co diaz texedor de tafetan –

Goncalo fernandez”

Now we know the names of Juan de Araiza y Medina’s grandparents! Antonio de Araiza and Beatriz Pérez and Diego de Esquivel and Francisca de Guzmán! Needless to say this opens up a whole new line of inquiry, because it means, that at the earliest, it was Antonio de Araiza who emigrated to New Spain.  Now to find further evidence of this!  It also, means, that Juan de Araiza y Medina was probably born in New Spain, rather than in Spain.  Was he born in Zacatecas? If so, his baptism is lost because the records there do not go back to the 1590s.  But to me, the link that was probably the tie between Zacatecas and Mexico City, is Juan’s grandparents, who probably stayed in Mexico City when Fernando moved to Zacatecas to participate in the mining boom.  I would say that it would be ideal to find the will of Fernando de Araiza or maybe even of Antonio de Araiza.

Finally, I wanted to encourage us to form a group to look at the Protocolos of Guadalajara and to Index them.  I will post a separate topic on this, but think this is a good place to point out that we are running short of church records, but there are many records yet to be indexed that may help us complete pieces of the puzzle like this one. 

Happy hunting!

Sergio Sean Salés