Hola prim@s,

I thought I might share what I know (or what I think I know…) about the Martín Chávez of Sierra de Pinos.

At the top of this line we have miner Juan Martín Chávez and his wife, Isabel Pérez, residents on La Pendencia. The earliest record I have found of them baptizing a child is from 15 Jan 1629, but both of their names appear on a marriage record from 9 Nov 1627 (she was madrina and he a witness), so they might have been married by that date.

I have them with 12 children (please let me know if I miss anything):

• Juan Martín Chávez “el Mozo,” born around 1635 (might be the unnamed child baptized in Oct 1635, whose padrinos were Rafael Suarez de Figueroa and his wife); d. 19 May 1683, San Luis Potosi; m. Juana de Rivera. His wife and 4 children died tragically between Apr 1 and Apr 28, 1683, before he finally succumbed on May 19.
• Nicolás Martín Chávez, born before 1639, m. Isabel de Longoria, im 28 Apr 1669, San Matías, Pinos, Zac (to be married in Mazapil).
• Joseph Martín Chávez, b. 29 Aug 1639, San Matías, Pinos, Zac, d. 10 Dec 1705, Mazapil, Zac; m1. Luisa de Huerta, m2. María de la Oliva, 28 Oct 1681, San Francisco, Charcas, SLP.
• Teresa Martín Chávez, b. 25 Sep 1643, San Matías, Pinos, Zac; d. 17 Aug 1678, San Matías, Pinos, Zac; m. Joseph de Espino.
• Antonio Martín Chávez, born around 1645, m. Ana de Castañeda y Salas.
• Josefa Martín Chávez, b. 17 Apr 1645, San Matías, Pinos, Zac.
• Ygnés Martín Chávez, born around 1646; d. 24 Dec 1736, San Matías, Pinos, Zac. Age 90, Doncella.
• Pedro Martín Chávez, born around 1648; married to Rita Calderón.
• Petra Martín Chávez, m. Francisco Delgado.
• Matiana Martín Chávez, b. 25 Dec 1651, San Matías, Pinos, Zac; m. Pascual Rodríguez.
• Isabel Martín Chávez, m1. Juan Díaz de Argandoña, 23 Feb 1669 San Matías, Pinos, Zac; m2. Bernabé Montañés, 28 Feb 1707, Real de Asientos. Had one son out of wedlock
• Diego Martín Chávez, b. 15 Mar 1654, San Matías, Pinos, Zac. Padrinos: Diego Delgado (el Moso) y Doña Isabel [de Islas Martínez Lozano] su muger.

Another probable son is Francisco Martín Chávez, born around 1631 on La Pendencia, and later a resident of San Miguel Mexquitic, SLP.

ORIGINS

According to his burial record, dated 22 Aug 1662, Juan Martín Chávez was from la ciudad de Lagos en los Algarbas en los Reinos de Castilla (Lagos, Faro, Portugal), and he was the son of Juan de Chávez and Beatriz González (courtesy of the abstracts of Mary Lou Montagna).

Isabel Pérez’s origin was revealed in the marriage dispensation of their daughter, Isabel Martín Chávez, who married Juan Díaz de Argandoña in 1699. They were dispensed at 3rd degree: he was the son of Andrés Díaz de Argandoña and Beatriz de Olavi, and according to witnesses, his maternal grandmother, María de Contreras, was the legitimate sister of Antonio Flores, who, being unmarried, had a child with a Coyota woman, and this child was sent to be raised on the Hacienda of Espiritu Santo in Sierra de Pinos, in the home of Capitán Gabriel Ortiz and Isabel Pérez, owners of said hacienda, who christened the child Isabel Pérez, after her adoptive mother; the owners of said hacienda later married the young Isabel to Juan Martín Chávez, and during their marriage, they begat Isabel Martín Chávez, the bride-to-be. The parentesco would look like this:

Antonio Flores-1-María de Contreras
Isabel Pérez-2-Beatriz de Olavi
Isabel Martín Chávez-3-Juan Díaz

So, though we’ll sadly never know the name of the birth mother of Isabel Pérez, we know that her father was Antonio Flores, who had a sister named María de Contreras, who was married to someone surnamed “Olavi.”

MARÍA DE CONTRERAS cc JUAN DE OLAVIDES

While going through the baptism book of Santa Fe, Guanajuato, I came upon a María de Contreras who was married to a miner named Joannes de Olavide. They baptized six children between 1605 and 1617. According to the baptism record of one of their sons, they had also lived in las Minas de los Ramos, bishopric of Guadalajara. Could this be the same María de Contreras mentioned in the cited dispensa, “Olavi” being a variation of “Olavide”?

Found in the marriage records of San Matías Sierra de Pinos, is that of Ygnasio de Olabid and Casilda de Contreras, married on 26 Jul 1639 on the Hacienda de El Peñol; their padrinos were none other than Juan Martín Chávez and María de Contreras, and witnesses were Alonso de Contreras and Andrés Díaz de Argandoña. Joannes de Olavide and María Contreras baptized a son named Ygnacio on 15 Aug 1612, and this is undoubtably him. I think we can say without a doubt that they are also the parents of Beatriz de Olavi, whose husband, Andrés Díaz de Argandoña, was a witness to this same marriage.

So I turned my attention to the church records of Santa Fe, Guanajuato:

04 Dec 1605 • baptize a Catalina hija de Joan de olavide y de María de contreras su muger fueron sus padrinos J Gomes de aregita y ana flores.
27 Jan 1608 • baptize a María hija de Joannes de olavides y de María de contreras su muger fueron sus Padrinos francisco de velasco y Anna flores.
05 Jun 1608 • Baptize a Luis hijo de Juan Martínes de Olaysola y de Catalina de Venavente Fueron sus padrinos Antonio Flores y Beatriz Contreras.
15 Nov 1609 • Baptize a Ysabel hija de la Yglesia fueron Padrinos francisco de Contreras y María Alvares su sobrina.
04 Jan 1613 • case por palabras de presente y vele rite et canonico a sebastian de çubimendi con leonor de contreras donçella española natural deste dho Rl fueron testigos Joannes de olavide Eugenio Martínes y Antto suarez.
25 Feb 1614 • Baptize a Beatriz hija de Sebastian de çubimendi y de Leonor de contreras fueron sus padrinos francisco de contreras y Beatriz de contreras su hermana.
20 Feb 1615 • Exorcize catecize y puse los stos olios a Madalena hija de Catalina gutierrez criada de francisca flores a la ql con necesidad havia baptizado beatriz de contreras fue madrina deste baptismo María de alvarado y de lo demas la misma beatris de contreras.
25 Feb 1615 • Exorcize catecize y puse los stos olios a Margarita hija de Pascuala mulata criada de francisco de velasco a la ql con necesidad baptizo joannes de olavide fue madrina del baptismo beatriz de contreras y de lo demas sebastian de cubimendi y leonor de contreras.
25 Jun 1615 • baptize a Ygnacio hijo de sebastian de çubimendi y de Leonor de contreras su muger fueron Padrinos francisco de contreras y Beatriz de contreras.
01 Feb 1617 • baptize a Ygnacio hijo de sebastian de çubimendi y de Leonor de contreras su muger fueron Padrinos francisco de contreras y Beatriz de contreras su hermana.
16 Sep 1617 • baptize a Josefa hija de Juan de Olavide y de María Contreras Fueron padrinos Francisco Contreras y Beatriz Contreras hermanos de la dha María Contreras.
26 Oct 1621 • despose y case por palabras de presente a francisco de contreras hijo de Juan de mecina difuncto y de francisca flores su muger con Doña Catalina de miranda valmaseda hija de Pedro de Miranda y de doña Ysabel corona su muger difunctos.
09 Dec 1621 • baptize a Nicolas hijo de María de aguilar soltera fueron Padrinos francisco de contreras y Leonor de contreras viuda su hermana.
10 Jan 1622 • baptizo a Ysabel hija de francisco de contreras y de Doña catalina de balmaseda su muger fueron Padrinos juan de de Goizi y Leonor de contreras viuda.
01 Dec 1623 • Baptize a Bernardo hijo de francisco de contreras y de Doña Catalina de Balmaceda su muger fue su madrina Leonor de contreras.

From these records, we can piece together that there were four siblings: María de Contreras, Beatriz de Contreras, Francisco de Contreras and Leonor de Contreras. We already know that María de Contreras was the sister of Antonio Flores (who might be the same who appeared as a padrino with Beatriz de Contreras in June 1608). According to his 1621 marriage record, Francisco de Contreras was the son of Juan Mecina (deceased) and Francisca Flores (she might be the same mentioned in the 20 Feb 1615 baptism record). Logically, they - or at least one of them - would be the parents of the other four siblings.

Juan Mecina and/or Francisca Flores:

• María de Contreras cc Joannes de Olavide
• Leonor de Contreras cc Sebastian de Çubimendi
• Francisco de Contreras cc doña Catalina de Miranda Valmaseda
• Beatriz de Contreras (doncella)
• Antonio Flores

I can’t say it’s conclusive, but from the available documents, it’s a compelling argument. What do you think?

Stay safe!
Manny Díez Hermosillo