Re: FIRST MESTIZO.

["Victor Villarreal" <vela_este@...>]

Steve,
That's indeed a little know historical fact about the father 
of "Mestizaje".

In Mérida, the capital city of the State of Yucatán, there is a 
statue erected in honor of the Spaniard sailor Gonzalo Guerrero, who 
together with the Mayan woman Ix Chel Cam, procreated the first 
mestizo children in the Americas.  Here's the link:

http://www.yucatan.com.mx/especiales/montejo/estatua_gonzaloguerrero.a
sp

The book "Historia General de las Indias", written by Francisco López 
de Gómara, although a lesser work when compared to Diaz del 
Castillo's "Historia Verdadera", makes also a brief reference to 
Gonzalo Guerrero.  Here's a link to the full (Spanish) online version:

http://usuarios.lycos.es/Onuba/MA110.htm

If you like history books don't miss the chance to save this one!
Victor



--- In ranchos@yahoogroups.com, "Steve G. Apodaca" <sgapodaca@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> I just wanted to write something that I found out recently while 
> reading Historia de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana, by Bernal Diaz 
> del Castillo. Perhaps many of you know about this story, but 
anyways, 
> it is about the first mexican mestizo. It was not, like I used to 
> believe, from the union of Cortes and la Malinche, but rather of 
> another espanol way before that.
> 
> The story says that when Cortes first landed on the Yucatan 
peninsula, 
> he heard the news from the indian translators that two espaniards 
were 
> slaves in that area. He sent for his rescue, and paid a ransom to 
> their masters for their freedom. One of them was a priest called 
> Jeronimo de Aguilar. As soon as he was freed, he went to look for 
the 
> other espanol. This is what the book says:
> 
> "When he had read the letter and received the ransom, he carreid 
the 
> beads delightedly to his master the Cacique an begged leave to 
depart. 
> The Cacique gave him permission to go wherever he wished, and 
Aguilar 
> set out for the place some fifteen miels aways where his comrade, 
> Gonzalo Guerrero, was living. But on hearing the contents of the 
> letter Gonzalo answered: 'Brother Aguilar, I am married and have 
three 
> children, and they look on me as a Cacique here, and a captain in 
time 
> of war. Go, and God's blessing be with you. But my face is tattooed 
> and my ears are pierced. What would the Spaniards say if they saw 
me 
> like this? And look how handsome these children of mine are! Please 
> give me some of those beads you have brought, and I will tell them 
> that my brothers have sent them from my own country.' And Gonzalo's 
> Indian wife spoke to Aguilar very angrily in her own language: 'Why 
> has this slave come here to call my husband away? Go off with you, 
and 
> let us have no more of your talk.' Then Aguilar spoke to Gonzalo 
> again, reminding him that he was a Christian and should not destroy 
> his soul for the sake of an Indian woman. Besides, if he did not 
wish 
> to desert his wife and children, he could take them with him. But 
> neither words nor warnings could persuade Gonzalo to come. I 
believe 
> he was a sailor and hailed from Palos."
> 
> I know, this story is not from our target area. I just wanted to 
let 
> know those who did not know how the mestizaje in Mexico started.
> 
> P.s. Read this book. You'll love it, but be warned that there will 
be 
> some words and phrases you will have trouble to understand. Have 
> patience, it is worth it.