The Mendozas

Provenance:
The House of the Mendozas constituted during many centuries one of the most important lineages of Spain, participating along the monarchs under the highest positions of the kingdom and intervening at times in the partialities that divided it. Many historians have tried, without proof, to show descendence from King don Pelayo; others, noticing the frequency of the surname Hurtado, pretend that the first lord of Mendoza was a son from an adulterous relation of the Queen doña Urraca, daughter of Alfonso VI; even the grand Cardenal don Pedro González de Mendoza made every effort to demonstrate that the name descended from the judges of Castile, and hence, from El Cid. It is without doubt that this family derives of the venerable Lords of Llodio, in the province of Alava, descendants in turn from the old Lords of Biscay, having adopted their name from their summer house of Mendioz or Mendoza, the Castilian Montefrío. Some of its members begin to distinguish in times of Sancho III, the Major of Navarra, passing to Castile with Fernando I.

A Lope Iñiguez de Mendoza concurred to the capture of Toledo, in 1085. In the XIII Century, and in the battle of the Navas de Tolosa, don Iñigo López de Mendoza became illustrious when he valiantly fought in the rear of the Christian army. By the middle of of the same century, Ruy López de Mendoza was named admiral of Castile by Fernando III, and confirmed at his death by Alfonso X. The importance of the Mendozas in the Castilian kingdom increased during the reign of Sancho IV and subsequent minorities, "palenque apropiado para el medro de quienes, como tales individuos, tuvieron valor probado, ambicion y caracter enredador, unido al despejo intelectual; o sea, lo que hoy se denomina genio politico." (Layna Serrano, Historia de Guadalajara y sus Mendoza en los siglos XV and XVI, Madrid, 1942, p. 43). King don Pedro I selected don Pedro González de Mendoza as his major majordomo, ceding to him in 1366 the lordships of Hita and Buitrago, in the provinces of Madrid and Guadalajara, bringing him to the same status as the first ricohombres (nobles) of Castile; years later don Pedro would die in Aljubarrota, while defending the life of Juan I. His successor was don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, major admiral of Castile during the kingdom of Enrique III. His firstborn son, Iñigo López de Mendoza y Laso de la Vega, constantly served Juan II, either battling the Moors or against the differences with the noblemen allied with the Infantes of Aragon, and cooperated in the definitive battle of Olmedo, in 1445, services for which he was made adelantado mayor of Andaluce and marquis of Santillana; he was no less diligent in the letters than in the arms, and among his reasons for glory it should not be least to have begotten an illustrious generation who lent Spain memorable services. [Diccionario de Historia de España]

To give an idea of the splendor that the Mendoza family achieved, it suffices to mention

• that their temporal or hereditary dignities were the greatest and oldest, since the Marquesado de Santillana, enjoyed by the Duke of the Infantado, is the foremost of the remaining ones of Spain.
• That in the ecleasiastical hierarchy only the tiara has more honors.
• That its admirable production of lineages, all powerful and excellent, made it at one time superior in that esteemed circumstance to all the Spanish families.
• That nowadays, even with the diminishing nobility of all the main Houses, it preserves happily in many, among them in the Count of la Corzana in Castile; in the Marques de la Vala Siciliana in the Kingdom of Naples and in the Conde de Val de Reys in Portugal.
  And finally,
• that its blood touches all the Christian Princes, because there is no one who is not grandson of the King Ferdinand the Catholic, as this great monarch was maternal grandson of the Admiral don Fadrique Enríquez, whose mother, doña Juana de Mendoza, was sister of don Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Admiral of Castile, progenitor of the Dukes of the Infantado. And that was not the only course that extended the Mendoza blood to all the Sovereigns of Europe, because the Kings of Portugal and of England and the Dukes of Parma, descend from doña Leonor de Mendoza, IV Duchess of Braganza, greatgranddaughter of don Diego, I Duke of the Infantado. And the Kings of Portugal once again from the Queen doña Luisa Francisca de Guzmán, who not only had the same Mendoza ancestry as the Duchess of Braganza, but also was greatgranddaughter of doña Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princesa de Mélito, Duchess of Pastrana and of Francavila.

[Historia de la Casa de Haro]

Inigo Lopez de Mendoza, marques de Santillana (marquess of) (b. Aug. 19, 1398, Carrión de los Condes, Castile and Leon--d. March 25, 1458, Guadalajara, Castile), Spanish poet and Humanist who was one of the great literary and political figures of his time. As lord of the vast Mendoza estates, he led the nobles in a war against King John II of Castile and in expeditions against . . .

Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza, CARDINAL (Cardenal) (b. May 3, 1428, Guadalajara, Castile [Spain]--d. Jan. 11, 1495, Guadalajara), Spanish prelate and diplomat who influenced Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon and was called, even in his own time, "the third king of Spain."

Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (b. c. 1503, Spain--d. 1557, Spain) Great grandson of the Marques of Santillana. He was entrusted by Charles V with the conduct of his Italian policy and the representation of his views at the Council of Trent.

Pedro de Mendoza (b. 1487, Guadix, Granada--d. June 23, 1537, on shipboard in the Atlantic Ocean), Spanish soldier and explorer, the first governor of the Río de la Plata region of Argentina and founder of Buenos Aires.

Antonio de Mendoza (b. c. 1490, Granada, Kingdom of Granada--d. July 21, 1552, Lima), the first and probably the most able viceroy of New Spain, who ruled the conquered Mexican territory with justice, efficiency, and a degree of compassion and established a basic political and economic policy that endured until the colonies gained their independence.

Diego Garcia de Mendoza Moctezuma

Juan Ruíz de Alarcón y Mendoza (b. Oct 2, 1581, Taxco (Guerrero), New Spain--d. Aug. 4, 1639, Seville, Spain) The most famous Mexican dramatist, descendant to the Marquess of Santillana and contemporary to Góngora, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Quevedo, etc, he was called the Prince of the Golden Century of the Spanish Literature. Contributed to the Golden Age theater in unique manner, with several famous comedies.

Daniel Mendoza (b. July 5, 1764, London--d. Sept. 3, 1836, London), bareknuckle pugilist, 16th in the succession of English heavyweight champions and the first Jewish champion, the first important fighter to combine scientific boxing with rapid, rather than hard, punching--a great change from the mauling style used until his time. Not a very big man . . .

Narciso G. Mendoza (b. c. 1800, Cuautla--d. ? Morelos, Mexico) Child hero of the Mexican Independence from Spain...

Quirino Mendoza (b. May 10, 1862, Tulyehualco, Xochimilco, DF--d. Nov. 9, 1957, Mexico City) Musician and songwriter of such classics as ``Cielito Lindo'' and ``Jesusita en Chihuahua''. His father Policarpio Fidelfio Mendoza Ocampo was a farmer and church organ player and his mother Juana Cortes de la Rosa was daughter of Hilario Cortes, a musician from Jerez, Zacatecas.

Vicente T. Mendoza (b. Jan 27, 1894, Cholula, Puebla--d. October 27, 1964, Mexico City) Folklorist and composer, scholar of the corrido songs, its origins, as expression of national identity. He was encouraged by his parents to study music, and enrolled in the National Conservatory in 1914. It was up through 1927, ...

Lydia Mendoza (b. May 31, 1916, Houston) Tex-Mex music pioneer, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter; greatest female artist in the genre, earning nickname "La Alondra de la Frontera" (The Lark of the Border), and the "La Gloria de Texas".

Victor Manuel Mendoza (b. Oct. 19, 1913, Talpa, Jalisco--d. July 20, 1995, Mexico City) Actor of the Golden Era of Mexican Cinema who appeared in classics such as ``Talpa'' (Ariel), ``Santa,'' ``Los Tres Garcias,'' (a trilogy along Pedro Infante), ``Ay Jalisco no te rajes,'' (with Jorge Negrete) ``La rebelion de los colgados,'' ``Susana,'' (directed by Luis Bun~uel), ``La Sombra del Caudillo,'' ``La otra virginidad,'' ...

home  Grado