In a message dated 2/11/2005 10:10:43 P.M. Central Standard Time,
vela_este@... writes:
Well, it
is not so much that this conversation would be boring to other members as it
is that it could easily drift away from the main area of interest of the
Ranchos group.
Exactly....this group is centered on a particular area of our
background....which is what I meant about "boring" because it does not
necessarily apply to research of this group...that of western part of Mexico, in
particular Zacatecas, Jalisco, etc...
Anyway,
just to reply to your previous post, here are a couple of comments.
I
still don't have a full picture of all the historical events related to the
first Villarreales in "the New Spain". I know the first Villarreales
that settled in Northeast Mexico were involved in mining for precious metals
along with other historical characters as Bernabé de las Casas and Martin de
Zavala.
This is what I know as well.....
I
believe the first mining sites in Mexico were located in the center of the
country and there was a gradual movement in search of new sites in practically
every direction. Many of the settlers of Nuevo Leon had already passed
thru Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, etc. on their way up north.
I believe such is the case for Diego de Villarreal.
Yep - it makes sense - there was a mandate of the times ...to benefit
the "mother country" and the "discoverer" ....
As you know, there are some Villarreales among the passenger
list of some of the very first ships from Spain. And in my Internet
searches I've come across some very old legal document from the early 1600's
that mention some Villarreal in México City.
Yes, the name is associated along with the initial passenger
list....difficult to ascertain actual connection to us....
That's the same period in which Diego de Villarreal appears in the chronicles
of "Nuevo Reyno de León", which means that there were some other Villarreales
down south. I will try to locate that document, as I remember saving it
in some folder on my hard disk.
I'd be very curious as to the connection of those Villarreales ....as
you know, it would only take one to write back to the "mother country" about the
virtues of their discovery to promote others to take the risk....
There
are very few historical documents with references to the surname Villarreal
from the early colonial period and it is hard to put the puzzle
together.
The only ones I am aware of is the ones that Danny pieced
together.....
It is
just a couple of years since I started getting interested in this subject and
don't have as much time to dedicate to this research as I would like.
Well, you know how it is, but I hope that in time I can collect more bits and
pieces of our history.
Regarding Danny, the first thing that I find
objectionable is the coat of arms that he displays on his web page as the
Villarreal coat of arms. Coat of arms are not passed on to just anyone
with the same name . It follows the family only of the original coat of arms
owner and usually his eldest son.
As a History teacher, I find this piece of information fascinating...I
knew about inheritance rights (regarding eldest son), but I had no idea that it
also applied to the coat of arms as well.....
And
besides that, there are about a dozen different designs of arms for the
Villarreal surname, so how do you decide which one to choose. I think it
is not right to give a wrong and misleading impression to people, particularly
to those who are just starting out in their search of their genealogical
roots.
I see your point, and concur....
About the Sephardic origins, I admit that possibility but I
haven't come across conclusive evidence, so I prefer to leave that as an
open-ended issue.
I understand what you are saying.....it was perplexing to me, until
various members of the family started the probing (they had heard the same
rumors even before it was vogue)....but when my great uncle, definitely a
"Catolico" confirmed the family rumors that this was part of our "Villarreal"
legacy, I am left to believe him....particularly because he had nothing to gain,
but everything to lose to admit to this....however, like you, I have no
proof...just the story of his cousin discovering the "Torah" in Allende,
Coahuila.....hidden between stones.....
I
would never try to apply a label to a whole group of people just because they
share the same surname. Neither do I think is politically correct to
glamorize the life of our ancestors as glorious "Conquistadors", particularly
when so many unjustified atrocities were committed in historical times against
so many people.
This is our legacy shared by all Mexicans....we carry the blood of the
"Conquistadores" or at least the aspiring Spaniards who wished to
"conquer" or believed themselves better than the indigenous population
......and the "Indios" , "Africanos", those of us that were forced in
servitude.....we are a contradiction of faces.....to deny our mother is the same
as to deny our fathers.....we are the faces of proud and racist Europeans, and
as we turn to our profile, we are also the faces of proud and resilient
"Indios", Africanos, and many others....we are like a divorced family.....some
of us are proud of certain roots, others are proud of the other roots...but we
are undeniably a product of both....and those of us that understand our
inheritance our richer for our experiences......
Esperanza
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