Following the hypothesis that Isabel de Mendoza, wife of Toribio Hernández de Arellano, was a native (chichimeca?), I would like to leave this note for the benefit of future research.
The proposition of a native origin for Isabel de Mendoza is not new, it predates the publication of Retoños de España en la Nueva Galicia. This possibility was suggested by Mariano González-Leal during a private dinner at his house, years before Retoños was published. It is crucial to emphasize that this remains a speculative theory and no proof has been found. It is based on the following:
- Strategic. A marital alliance between a spaniard like the mayor Toribio Hernández de Arellano and an indigenous woman, particularly one of cacique lineage, would have been a strategic asset in the region of Santa María de los Lagos. This area was situated on a volatile frontier (frontera de chichimecas), and such unions could have been a method of securing alliances with indios amigos or indios de paz, thereby stabilizing a notoriously dangerous territory.
- Onomastic evidence. The surname "de Mendoza" was conferred upon several caciques and their family members during the viceroyalty of Don Antonio de Mendoza (1535-1550). Isabel de Mendoza's estimated birth date falls within this period, and Viceroy Mendoza was physically present in Nueva Galicia in 1542, a plausible context for her baptism and the bestowal of the surname.
An alternative, though chronologically-challenging hypothesis must also be acknowledged. My dear friend, the Mexican diplomat Jorge A. Fuentes Méndez—to whom, along with Guillermo Tovar de Teresa and Mariano González-Leal, I owe my early training in genealogy decades ago—provided me an extensive list of documented Mendozas from the period. This list included the family of Francisco de Mendoza (son of Comendador Diego de Mendoza and Isabel Segura) and his wife Beatriz de Montoya. This family, including their children Pedro de Mendoza, Isabel de Mendoza, Leonor de Montoya, and Juana Ruiz, emigrated to New Spain in 1536 (Archivo General de Indias, CONTRATACION, 5536, L.4, F.38R(5)) PARES | Archivos Españoles. The fate of this particular Isabel de Mendoza is unknown, and she remains a candidate. However, a significant chronological issue exists, as she was likely born around 1530 or earlier.
Best regards.
Erik Andrés Reynoso y Márquez.
Thank you Erik for sharing this interesting theory.
Hoping to hear more on this research. I have also been following with great interest your recent thread on Toribio Hernández de Arellano and the possible connection to the Hernández family from Salamanca. No doubt that further evidence will emerge to confirm this association.
Best regards,
Tristán Díaz de León
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I would like to clarify my statement. Isabel de Mendoza was born in what is now Mexico, but she wasn’t full blooded native. The Diego Hurtado de Mendoza that was identified as her father came over from Spain. Diego was single when he came over and little is known about him except who he came over with and who he worked for. I don’t have proof that he was her father, but he is the Diego Hurtado de Mendoza that a document said was her father. The clues that I still need to follow come from his employer. I am seeking out records that may reveal a little more about his time in Mexico. I do know Diego’s ancestry and he is closely related to other Mendoza’s that came over, both in Mexico and South America. It is clear that Isabel’s mother was native or a mestiza. I do not know the identity of Isabel’s mother.
Rick A. Ricci
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Thank you, Tristán and Rick, for your comments.
I hope we, or someone in the future, will eventually find documentation to prove those hypotheses. Researcher Rick Rodriguez posted an interesting comment on Isabel de Mendoza's Familysearch profile, which notes: "Isabel de Mendoza fue de india o mestiza. Esto se deduce porque varios de sus descendientes directos maternos resultaron con haplogrupo indígena." I hope Rick Rodriguez, if he is part of this group, can share more about his interesting finding.
I also have a question, Rick. What document proves that Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is the father of Isabel? And if he did have a daughter named Isabel, how does that connect her specifically to Santa María de los Lagos and to Toribio Hernández de Arellano? This would help clarify that the Isabel in question is not someone else with the same name.
Best regards,
Erik.
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Hello Eric,
I too have wondered about the document that people have said exists that identifies Diego Hurtado de Mendoza as a relative of the Viceroy and father of Isabel Mendoza. This Diego Hurtado de Mendoza came over as criado of the Bishop. He was single when he came over, and the question remains on whether he traveled back and forth from Spain, or if he just stayed in Mexico after his first trip. I believe he made more than one trip as the date of birth of Isabel is given by most genealogists as mid to late 1530’s. If he really is her father then he would have had to come to Mexico earlier than his trip to Mexico in the early 1550’s. Because this Diego is connected to the viceroy, I believe that he worked first for him and that is why he most likely made more than one trip between Spain and Mexico. If he traveled back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean as representative of the Viceroy and the Bishop, then that could possibly explain why there is not much written about his life in Mexico.
And this Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is a cousin of the Ruy Diaz de Mendoza that is an ancestor of many people in New Mexico. Another cousin traveled to South America and left many descendants there. While working on both separate projects on identifying their ancestry the projects converged, with me first discovering Ruy’s true parents and grandparents, and then discovering that Diego Hurtado de Mendoza is in that close family tree.
The actual details of their ancestry will take pages. Please let me know if you can get access to that document, as I have asked for that specific document for over two decades, but no one has given details on where to find it.
The evidence that I have is only for Diego Hurtado de Mendoza’s ancestry, the Diego that was a criado of the bishop. I don’t have the document that states that he is Isabel’s father so I can’t study it to find out what it actually says. So until we can get a hold of that document we are left wondering.
Merry Christmas,
Rick A. Ricci
Source: my book, Mygenes2000
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Toribio Hernández de Arellano and Isabel de Mendoza