Hello Jaime,

Wow!! You discovered a very important piece of the puzzle and the one were all missing. With this, all the other pieces seem to fall into place. This document confirms that Nicolás de Castañeda was indeed the son of Pedro de Castañeda and Jacinta de Sotomayor and not Pedro’s brother, as I had originally thought.

As you mentioned, Ana de Vargas was the daughter of Diego de Vargas Moriano and Leonor de Cardona. The confusion with the surname “Vargas Machuca” stems from the burial record of Apolonia de Castañeda in 1739. Here is the link:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12142-72431-92?cc=1502404&wc=M99K-33K:1144525490

This record conflicts with others with more credibility, such the Información Matrimonial you found and the final will and testament of Apolonia de Castañeda, filed 7 Feb 1715 in Aguascalientes. This important document in the Protocolos Notariales of Baltazar Díaz de Aguilera, Alcalde Ordinario de Aguascalientes, begins as follows:

“En el nombre de Dios todopoderoso amen: sepan quan-
tos la presente carta de poder vieren como io Da. Apolonia de
Castañeda, vezina de esta Villa de Aguas calientes
e hija lexitima de D. Nicolas de Castañeda y de Ana
de Vargas Muriano, vezinos que fueron de el Real de
Sierra de Pinos; hallandome sana de el cuerpo, memoria y en-
tendimiento natural tal qual Dios nuestro Señor
fue servido de darme….etc. etc.”

Apolonia de Castañeda was in her late 40s or early 50s (her last child, Julián Flores de Robles, was born in 1705) and in good health when she filed her testament in 1715. She didn’t die until 23 Aug 1739 when she was buried in Aguascalientes. I think that settles it, her parents were Nicolás de Castañeda and Ana de Vargas Muriano (or Moriano). The reference to the surname Vargas Machuca was a blunder by the scribe who recorded her burial.

BILL FIGUEROA

—– Original Message —–
From: Jaime R. Alvarado
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 11:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Castaneda, Carabajal, Carrion

Bill Figueroa,
Recently you provided the names of six children of Pedro Castañeda and Jacinta de Sotomayor, and also mentioned your belief that Nicolas Castañeda, the spouse of Ana Vargas, could be brother of Pedro. However, Nicolas was another child of Pedro and Jacinta, as it was stated in the marriage information when he pretended to marry Ana Vargas in Pinos, Zacatecas, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15245-26512-76?cc=1804458&wc=M99V-JM2:1750035906.
Ana was born in San Luis Potosi and lived in el Real de la Pendencia and was the daughter of Diego Vargas Moriano and Leonor de Cardona. Notice that her father’s surname conflicts with at least one later document where the compound surname associated with Ana appears as ‘Vargas Machuca’.

Sincerely

Jaime

Jaime,

You’re not going to believe this! The link to Gabriel de Castañeda’s Información Matrimonial that you sent me last Friday solves another mystery that had me wondering for several days. It turns out that Gabriel’s marriage record in Aguascalientes is none other than the one erroneously attributed to Miguel de Castañeda. There is no Miguel de Castañeda. Gabriel and Miguel sound similar, so the good padre (or his scribe) wrote the wrong name in the record book. Here is an excerpt of the marriage information provided by Gabriel de Castañeda in Sierra de Pinos:

“En 29 dias de henero de 1653 años”

“Grabiel de Castañeda, vesino y natural del Real y Minas de Sierra de Pinos,
hijo legitimo de Pedro de Castañeda, ya difunto, y de Jasinta de Sotomayor,
paresco ante Vuestra Merced en la mejor bia y forma que aya lugar y digo que
yo tengo tratado contraer matrimonio por letras de presente en
la Villa de Aguas Calientes con Maria Rebollo, biuda mujer que fue
de Juan Balades, natural de la Jurisdicion de tequaltiche, hija de Do-
mingo de Rebollo y de Maria Lopez su mujer, y para poderlo aser ne-
cesito dar ynformasion de libre, soltero y sin impedimento.”

“Por todo lo qual a Vuestra Merced pido y suplico se me resiba dicha in-
formacion que ofresco, y dada mande sea amonestado en tres dias festi-
bos y no resultando ympedimento alguno se me de lisensia en forma para
que el matrimonio se selebre en dicha Villa de Aguascalientes que siendo-
lo asi cumplira Vuestra Merced con su obligacion y a mi me ara bien y merced,
con justicia que pido y en lo necesario esta”

[f] “Graviel de Castañeda”

AUTO

Abiendo bisto esta peticion presentada por Graviel
de Castañeda ante el Sr. Bachiller Juan de Quixas Escalante dijo
que mandava y mando se le resibiera la ynformacion que ofrese,
q’ dada probera lo que conbenga, asi lo probeyó y mandó y firmó

[f] Br. Juan de Quixas y Escalante Ante mi
[f] Juan Diaz Otero? (firma ilegible)
Notario ?

Following the testimony of three witnesses Joseph de Quixas Escalante, Juan Diaz de León (el mozo) and Xinés de Carrión, the priest granted him the license to marry María Rebollo López in Aguascalientes. Three days later Gabriel and María were married at Parroquia de la Asunción de Aguascalientes. Notice that Maria, a native of Teocaltiche, was a resident of Aguascalientes. She was the widow of Juan Macías Valadez, buried in Aguascalientes 18 Dec 1652. A revised transcription of Gabriel and María’s wedding follows:

Al margen: “Miguel (should read Gabriel) de Castañeda y María López, españoles”.

“En primero de febrero de dicho año (1653), se casó y veló según el orden
de la Santa Madre Iglesia habiendo antecedido todas las diligencias que manda
el concilio, Maria López, viuda de Joan Valadés, vecino que fue de esta
jurisdición, con Miguel (should read Gabriel) de Castañeda), hijo legítimo de P…. de Castañe-
da, y de Jasinta de Sotomayor, vecinos de la jurisdición de Sierra de Pinos,
fue su padrino el Capitán Juan de Quixas y Escalante. Y lo firmé
Pedro Rincon de Ortega”

This is just another example of the type of errors sometimes found in church records. However, in all fairness to the Church, it doesn’t happen often. I had suspected this because of the previous marriage of María Rebollo López to Juan Macías Valadez, but fortunately the mystery has been solved. The children of Pedro de Castañeda and Jacinta de Sotomayor are Jacinta, Nicolasa, Josepha, Teresa, Gabriel and Nicolás. Let me know if you have any questions.

BILL FIGUEROA

—– Original Message —–
From: Jaime R. Alvarado
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Friday, April 05, 2013 9:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Maria Nicolasa Castaneda

Bill,
Here is the link to Garbriel’s Castaneda document: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15245-22889-22?cc=1804458&wc=M99V-JM2:1750035906
Also, thanks for the information about the parents of the bride.

Jaime

Bill, Jaime, Carolyn, Daniel, and everybody researching this family,

I have been reading all these posting and I am excited to be able to add some information.

If I understood correctly, Antonio de Castañeda y Vargas is in fact the son of Nicolás de Castañeda y Ana de Vargas Muriano, correct? Based on my research, I had not been able to find his parents, but I had been able to find the following information on his siblings:

1.Antonio de Castaneda Y Vargas m. Thomasa Carrion
-Gregorio Joseph Castaneda Carrion
-Juan Castaneda Carrion m. Juana Carbajal Sanabia (Sarabia) b. Jul 1690 In Gdl. Jal. (I have found 11 children from this marriage)
-Maria Nicolassa Castaneda Carrion m. Martin Ruiz de Esparza Sotelo (I have found 9 children from this marriage)
-Nicolas Castaneda Carrion m. Maria Gomez Ruiz de Villasenor
-Francisca Castaneda Carrion m. Joseph Diaz Perea (I have found 6 children)
-Ana Castaneda Carrion m. Andres Martinez de Sotomayor Guerra
-Geronima Castaneda Carrion
-Polonia Castaneda Carrion
-Juan Antonio Castaneda Carrion

2.Petrona de Castaneda m. Matheo Aguado (I assume she is Antonio’s sister, since Antonio & Thomasa are her daughter’s godparents)

3.Miguel de Castaneda (based on your contributions, it seems that his name is Gabriel instead, correct?) There is a Miguel Castaneda who appears on Antonio’s son’s -Juan Castaneda Carrion- baptismal record.

4.Polonia de Castaneda m. Alonso de Guzman (she would be Apolonia de Castaneda)

Therefore, everything seems to indicate that Antonio (husband of Thomasa Carrion) is in fact Apolonia’s brother, both children of Nicolas de Castaneda y Ana de Vargas, correct? Do you think Petrona de Castaneda is also their sister? I have been researching Antonio’s descendants, in case somebody is also working on this line we could share information.

Thank you for all the information you have shared!

Jorge Chiprés Castañeda

Carolyn Gomez Duran
Bill, Jaime, Daniel,Jorge and everybody researching this family,

As I read the recent posting I am in awe of the work you all perform as expert genealogist! I have so much to learn but am so grateful to have found Nuestros Ranchos!

Thank you all for this gift!
Carolyn

Bill,
I thought it was a estrange coincidence that two brothers married, within a short time frame, two ladies named Maria (Lopez and Rebollo Lopez) who were widows of two husbands named Juan Valades. Yet, I did not pursue it any further. Once again you share with the group a fantastic piece of genealogical research that demonstrates there was no Miguel but only Gabriel Castañeda.
Regarding the surname Moriano, although rare, it can be found in Spain, and in some latin american countries, particularly in Argentina. There is a town in northern Italy that goes by that name, and the presence among Argentineans could be associated to a toponym used among Italian inmigrants. However, in our case, there is another toponym that yields a more plausible origin. If we focus on the alternative spelling recorded in Apolonia’s testament (Vargas Muriano) we find Cerro Muriano, a small town just north of the City of Cordoba, and the site of ancient Roman copper mines known by that name.

Thanks

Jaime

Carolyn Gomez Duran

Dear Jorge,
These are my ancestors:
Antonio Castaneda and Thomasa Carrion would be my 9th GG-parents.
Juan Castaneda and Juana Carabajal my 8th GG-parents.
Maria Gertrudis Castaneda and Joseph Matias Sesario Sosa my 7th GG-parents.
Maria Josefa Anastacia Sosa and Jose German Gaitan my 6th GG-parents.
Jose Manuel Gaitan and Maria de los Dolores Gaitan my 5th GG-parents.
Prudencia Gaitan and Manuel Garza my 4th GG-parents.
Rosalia Martinez Gaitan and Roman Hinostroza Esparza my 3rd GG-parents.
Maria Bernarda Esparza and Bonifacio Jimenez my 2nd GG-Parents.
Antonio Jimenez and Maria Loginos Moreno my 1st GG-parents.
Maria Isabel Jimenez and Roman Cardenas my Grandparents.
Are we primos??
Carolyn

Bill, Jaime, Carolyn et. al.
I believe I have found another piece of the puzzle with the Castañeda family. The following: In a dispensa that can be found for the years 1710-1712, image 489 we find the following information:
Sierra de Pìnos – Nicolás de Castañeda y María Gómez Ruíz

It mentions that Nicolás is a native of Sierra de Pinos as well as María Gómez. They share a 4th and 3rd degree of consanguinity. He is the son of Antonio de Castañeda and Tomasa de Carrión; she is the daughter of Matías Gómez and Isabel Ruíz; The genealogy is not fully mentioned, the only information the witnesses give is that both are “bisnietos de dos hermanos carnales”
According to the dispensation, Antonio de Castañeda is the grandson of Pedro de Castañeda and María Gómez is the great grandaughter of Jacinta de Sotomayor. It also mentions that Jacinta was a sister to Blas Nieto. My question is the following: is Blas Nieto somehow related to the Nieto Corona family? This would put all these individuals at the beginning to the first quarter of the XVII century in Aguascalientes-Pinos region.
I hope this will shed forth even more light on this genealogy,
Daniel Méndez de Torres Camino

Hola-

Ana’s sister Maria de Vargas married Juan Delgado (son of Diego Delgado and Juana Diaz). Juan was a widower, having previously been married to Juana de Rivera. It appears that Maria de Vargas and Juana de Rivera were related, since the marriage required a dispensation for ‘segundo con tercero grado de afinidad’. The dispensation can be found in the Pinos IM 1640-1699 records: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15245-25771-7?cc=1804458&wc=M99V-JM2:1750035906

In the dispensation, Maria’s parents are listed as Pedro de Vargas Moriano and Leonor de Cardona

…información dada por Juan Delgado, viudo de Juana de Rivera, hijo legitimo de Diego Delgado y de Juana Díaz, y María de Vargas, soltera hija legitima de Pedro de Vargas Moriano y de Leonor de Cardona españoles vecinos del partido de Sierra de Pinos para el matrimonio que pretenden contraer y el impedimento que resulta de parentesco de segundo con tercer grado de afinidad…

Austin Perez

Does anyone know who were the parents of Apolonia de Castañeda married to D. Alonso de Guzmán y Prado?

Daniel Méndez de Torres Camino
Saludos desde São Paulo, SP, Brasil

Hi Daniel,

The parents of Apolonia de Castañeda are Nicolás de Castañeda and Ana de Vargas Moriano.

Christopher de Cuéllar