Catarina, I had to do an online translation for Limosnero so I'm learning and growing with your wonderful story..
Like you when I hear my Dad and his siblings talk about their grandparents and the stories they shared it makes them come alive for me. On the history part when my grandfathers sister, Paula Castanon said her grandparents, Juan Jose Castanon and Zeferina Mejia from Recodo, Jerez Zacatecas were killed by Indios around 1860 that really put a new face on things for me. It just never occurred to me they had Indian raids that late in Jerez.. and then again they could have just been bandits who happened to be Indio. Recodo disappeared by 1890 more or less so I guess it wasn't a good place to live!
glad you shared it.

Linda in Everett

La Plus Belle wrote:
Oh, well, that would be me. I'm glad you could appreciate the significance of those casta paintings, as I do! Yes, I agree with you about genealogy. Just recently I was thinking about that as I heard my grandmother tell a funny anecdote about her father (my ggf). He was born in Zacatecas along w/all of his siblings (save for an older half-brother born in Spain), but his eldest full brother decided to move to Mexico City. He tried to convince my ggf to move, also, but he refused saying he didn't want the family to spread out and separate. Well, one day my ggf decided to visit his brother for the 1st time in D.F. When the "criada" came out and asked who she should tell her "patrón" was there to see him. He told her, "Dile que soy un limosnero." She went upstairs and told her patrón and, suddenly, a woman poked her head out the window and said, "¡Pendeja! ¡Es mi hermano!" I was laughing so hard hearing my gma repeat that, but it helped me to visualize the scene and
how everyone was so "real" and they had the same quirks that we do. I'm so glad I started this search for my "familia" and finding or imagining their stories...