TGSA Famous Ancestors of Northeastern Mexico Series

Descendants of Capitán Francisco BÁEZ BENAVIDES and Isabel MARTÍNEZ GUAJARDO

ALTERNATE NAMES: Francisco Báez de Benavides; Francisco Báez de Benavides Lopez; Isabel Martínez Guajardo Navarro; Isabel Martínez Guajardo Navarro y Rodríguez

DNA: Francisco Báez Benavides’ yDNA haplogroup is E-MZ117.

ABOUT CAPITÁN FRANCISCO BÁEZ BENAVIDES and ISABEL MARTÍNEZ GUAJARDO:
Francisco Báez de Benavides, son of Capitán Gonzalo Báez de Benavides and Marta López, was born in 1594 on the Isle of Tenerife, Canary Islands. His paternal grandparents were Gonzalo Báez and María Perdomo. Gonzalo Báez and Marta López were married on 25 October 1585 in Orotava at the church Nuestra Senora de la Concepción. Francisco's mother, Marta, was the daughter of Melchor González and Ana Álvarez.

At the time of his birth, the Canary Islands was inhabited by Guanches, a Berber people who had only been under Spanish rule for three to four generations. The people sent by Spain to rule over the Guanches were of the ruling class of Spain. The Benavides, Sosa, de las Casas and López families were of this class. Some consider Báez to be a Portuguese name.

By 1612 at the age of 19 Francisco is found in Saltillo where he has joined his uncle, the conquistador and explorer Bernabé de las Casas. He and his uncle were both from the same town of Orotava in the Canary Islands. Francisco joins his uncle Bernabe de las Casas in silver and lead mining in the Valle de las Salinas. He himself finds several mines and sells some to his uncle. In 1619 Francisco gives his uncle Bernabé de las Casas half-interest in the San Nicolás de Tolentino mine he had discovered in exchange for financial backing.

After having settled in Monterrey before 1620, he married Isabel Martínez Guajardo Navarro, the daughter of Francisco Martínez Guajardo and Inés Navarro, original settlers of Monterrey. She was probably born in Saltillo, Coahuila, México. In the 1626 census of Monterrey, Francisco and Isabel are listed as living at his widowed uncle Bernabé's hacienda. At this time, they are the only family living in El Puesto de las Salinas.

He used the land granted to him along the Pesquería Grande River for growing wheat. He was not only a farmer and rancher but also involved in the affairs of Monterrey. So much so that he was named Alcalde Mayor del Real de las Salinas in 1646. As such one can find him listed as a witness in many documents. No matter, at least two criminal charges were brought against him; 1) about 1630, for having attacked a priest and 2) about 1647, when mayor of Las Salinas, for leading a group of armed men against Captain Diego de Villarreal's hacienda and removing silver and in the same case he is also accused of being Portuguese and a Jew.

Francisco Báez Benavides, renowned Indian fighter, miner, farmer, rancher, constable, attorney, Alcalde, and founder of one of the great families of the region, died about 1666 most likely in Monterrey. His wife, Isabel Martínez Guajardo died in Monterrey, Nuevo León, México on 25 July 1693.

The coat of arms for Baez Benavides consists of a field of silver with a red lion, rampant with three bars of gold.

This Descendant Report extracted by Crispín Rendón from his personal database in September 2022 consists of 8 generations and 33,544 descendants and spouses.

BOOKS:
Histoira del Nuevo Reino de León 1577-1723 by Eugenio del Hoyo.

Los Valles de Las Salinas y Del Carrizal by Guillermo Garmendia Leal.

The Conquistadores and Crypto-Jews of Monterrey by David T. Raphael.

With All Arms by Carl Laurence Duaine, revised and edited by his son Laurence A. Duaine.

Intro by TGSA
DNA association & Descendant Report by Crispín Rendón

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