Here is the list of the sixteen founders of the Villa de Santiago del Saltillo present day Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. I extracted the following portrait of Alberto del Canto and the names of the founders from the book titled “The Conquistadores and the Crypto-Jews of Monterrey“.
Among the list are 3 of my ancestors that I know of. I have included their relationship next to their names. Saltillo was founded in 1577.
Mural depicting the Founding of Saltillo by Alberto del Canto
List of the Sixteen Founders of Villa de Santiago del Saltillo
- Captain Alberto del Canto, Portuguese (my 10th great grandfather)
- Juan Alonso, Portuguese
- Julian Gutierrez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Cristobal de Sagastiberri, Basque
- Agustin de Villa Sur
- Santos Rojo, Basque.
- Manuel de Zirua
- Juan de Erbaez, Basque
- Manuel de Mederos, Portuguese
- Antonio Hernandez Grimon
- Baldo Cortes, Spaniard
- Juan Navarro, Basque (my 12th great grandfather)
- Mateo de Barrasa
- Juan Perez Chocallo, Portuguese
- Gines Hernandez, Portuguese
- Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Portuguese (my 11th great grandfather)
Let me know in the comments if your ancestors are also listed in this list. If you are interested also in the early settlers of Saltillo I highly recommend that you check out my previous post: Aquellos Primeros Saltillenses, eBook by María Elena Santoscoy Flores
Alberto del Canto is my 12th great grandfather according to my family tree. Glad to see we are related down the line!
Let me know if you want to trade information to see exactly how we are related.
I also related
From whom of the founders?
I was under the impression that everyone that is posting here were related…
I think we are all related somehow.
hOLA Baltazar es mi abuelo numero 12
Gracias por compartir.
Baltazar is my 12th bisabuelo too, via my Moreno/Treviño line.
Moises- if I purchase the Treviño book, does it give file numbers allowing me to find the birth and marriage records on line?
¡Muchas gracias!
I provide citations to primary and secondary sources as to where the information came from.
Alberto is my 11 great grandfather
That is awesome.
Alberto is my 10th Great Grandfather on the Rodriguez de Montemayor side.
sure. email me at [email protected]
Moises are you related to Juan Navarro too? Remember we had a connection before via Cuellar from Guerrero, Tamaulipas.
Yes I am, it is through my cuellar and two other lines.
i have readed four books on family tree i do not have a website, but i love to hear stories on mier ,tamps i just finished the juan de dios guerra,,,wife– narzia gomes – my mothers grandparents, (mier,tamps and later moved to san carlos, ranch 8 miles north of el sauz,tx,,,i would like to stay in touch the you, thank you carmen munoz, gonzalez, 271 Harrow dr. san antonio,tx,78227 210-673-0988
Carmen,
Glad to see your comment, let me know if you need any help with your family genealogy.
Hola Moises,
We have two common ancestors, Juan Navarro is my 11th great grandfather and Baltasar Castaño de Sosa is my 11th great grandfather. I do not have a website, but my tree is on Ancestry.com.
I am glad to meet you prima. Let me know if we can trade information. I ma very interesting in adding you to my family tree.
Late to the party, but I am really starting to dig into my geneology.
Conquistador Juan Navarro I and Capitan Baltazar Juan Castano de Sosa are both my 13th great grandfathers. Juan's son and Balthazar's daughter married. I'm on FamilySearch.org if anyone has a tree there and wants to connect.
Good Afternoon,
Does any one know the birthdate to Ines Rodriguez De Montemayor wife of Baltasar Castano de Sosa? Baltasar is my 12th great grandfather.
Thank you
Check out Wikipedia, they may have it. I also descend from him. I am in Ancestry, and 23&Me.
We have the same three great grand fathers and I’m also related to Julian Gutierrez.
Then, we are primos many times over. That is soo cool.
Mo’ I have Baltazar Castaño De Sosa as my 13th Great grandfather
The sixteen founders all Jewish?
Juan Alonso, Portuguese
Capitan Juan Navarro is my 11th g-grandfather, and Baltasar Costano de Sosa is my 12th g-grandfather. Where do you have your family tree?
Oh wow, i am so excited to see this. My last name is Sosa and have been trying to track down my Sosa lineage and having no luck. With this post maybe i can find a link to my fathers family from the Tamaulipas areas. This is so awesome. I had found that the Sosa name was actually of Portuguese decent instead of Spaniard as we had originally thought. Is there a family tree somewhere for Baltazar Castano de Sosa that i can take a look at. I would really love to get my hands on a copy of his family tree.
Wow, after looking at some of the postings on here seems there are quite a few relations to the Sosa funny how many of the last names are not even Sosa thought. I would never have imagined.
Many people have Sosa in their tree even though they may not carry the last name. That is why it is vital to research every branch including all females. Don’t just focus on your last name.
Among my ancestors are Juan Navarro, Baltazar Costa no Sosa, and Juan Alonso. Many of my ancestors are written about in the book The Conquistadors and the Crypto Jews of Monterrey including Baez Benavides.
Orfa we are distantly related and that book is a great read.
Thank you for this list. Five of my ancestors are listed: Alberto de Canto, Juan Alonso, Santos Rojo, Juan Navarro and Baltazar Castano de Sosa. All are in my Grandmother Garza’s line. I probably with find others when I research my Grandfathers tree.
Awesome we are related. Hope you are doing great.
Alberto del Canto is my 9th great grandfather, Baltazar Castano de Sosa is my 10th great grandfather. Juan Navarro is my 9th great grandfather.
We are also distant cousins then.
Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Juan Navarro, Basque, Santos Rojo, Basque, and Captain Alberto del Canto, Portuguese are my 13th Great Grandfathers. All are in my Garcia line.
Cool we are very distant cousins!
Hola, how can I get access to the family trees on Monterrey founders? my family is from and al lives in Monterrey Mx, we are- de la Garza/Garcia, my great grandparents were Perfecto de la Garza Paz, Genoveva Garcia Guerra. I am Lopez Ancer ( my grandmother married a Monterrey Lebanese)
Any info would be great, Im trying to fill in grandmas side of the family tree- [email protected]
Hello Jeny, the only books that I know of are the ones by Guillermo Garmendia Leal. You can read about one of them here: https://www.wearecousins.info/2014/07/familias-de-monterrery-sus-descendientes-tomo-ii/
My great grandfather may come the Philippines with Magellan in 1521, all I know is that my father is Pedro Salboro Villalobos born to a father Marcos Villalobos. My father was born in 1929 in the Philippines.
I believe that During that time the Philippines was under Spanish rule. A brother of one of my ancesotrs was exciled to the Philippines in the late 1500’s.
Thank very much and Godspeed!!!
Thank you!
Captain Don Miguel Montemayor del Canto, born 1586, is my 10th Great Grandfather… whom is son of Alberto del Canto, born 1547, is my 11th Great Grandfather.
~this all starts from my Dads mother, mothers’ fathers side who is an “Alanis” of Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, MX
~the De la Garza/Falcon/Trevino & Montemayor are also my ancestors
Thank you for sharing, hopefully, we can trade3 information one day.
Alberto del Canto, Juan Alonso (which is a decendant of Afonoso’s in Portugal centuries before him) & Baltazar Juan Castano Sosa; 3 individuals, are on this list for me as direct Ancestral Great Grandfathers
Alberto was a Tio of mind because he married my grandfathers daughter a tia .
Baltazar is my 14th great grandfather, im also related to his daughters María Rodriguez Sosa and his sons Lucas García Rodriguez and Diego Rodriguez Sosa.
Also Alberto del Canto Diaz Vieira is my 12th great grandfather and im descendant of his son Miguel Montemayor Canto.
I wanted to know if you have information about any relation betwen Baltazar Castaño Sosa and Gaspar Castaño Sosa, this last one is founder of San Luis (now Monterrey Nuevo León).
I dont know if they were brothers or if Baltazar was Gaspar´s young uncle.
They both were portuguse, both came to the new world, both have this cityfounding history, both arrived to Zacatecas, but there is no book that relate them.
Moises, your list of the 16 Founders of Saltillo has one name that differs from the book by María Elena Santoscoy Flores – on pg. 16 of “Aquellos Primeros Saltillenses” there is a Portuguese person by the name of ANTONIO GONZALEZ ; all the other names match, but I was just wondering, since my GONZALEZ family comes from SALTILLO.
I will look for a third source to see if Antonio Gonzalez is listed.
Hey ya,
I see three references on the founders list of Saltillo to Basque….interesting, my surname is Del Bosque, the vast majority of my relatives come from Nuevo León. I wonder if Bosque was once Basque? I see many variations in the records, Basque, Bosques, Basquez.
Also I’ve seen very many references to the Saltillo area, Nuevo León generally as a Sephardic Jewish community. Have you found the same and perhaps links to your tree?
Thanks,
Belinda Del Bosque
Ive found variations on names but not any concrete information on Jewish heritage only DNA.
I’ve since contacted Maria Jose Surribas, a genealogist in Barcelona and through Inquisition records and other primary sources she prepared a “Names Report” and confirmed Sefardí and conversó heritage. So much and clear that I was granted Spanish citizenship via the Sephardic pathway extended by the government of Spain. We are Sephardic Jews; there is no doubt.
That is amazing!
Hello Belinda, could we connect to discuss the process for Spanish citizenship via Sephardic ancestry? I am also a descendant of several of the founders of Monterrey, Saltillo, and other cities. Thank you in advance.
Hey guys! Baltazar Castaño de Sosa is my direct paternal ancestor. Alberto del Canto, Juan Navarro, Santos Rojo, and Manuel de Meredos are also my ancestors.
We are cousins many times, they are also my ancestors.
Juan Navarro is my 11th grandfather and Baltazar Castaño De Sosa my 12tg grand father
Can anybody share stories, pictures, anything?
Thank you!
Both are my ancestors also. Look a the book With All Arms for stories on many settlers of Saltillo and Monterrey. Here is a link to the book https://www.wearecousins.info/2012/12/with-all-arms-a-study-of-a-kindred-group-by-carl-lawrence-duaine/
Hi, very interesting! I love history and research with family. He is my 13 great-grandfather,
Robert Valdez
Who is your 13th great grandfather?
I am a direct line descendant of Juan Alonso, Juan Navarro and Baltasar Castnao de Sosa through my maternal Rendon line. I am also a direct line descendant of most, if not all the 15 founders of Monterrey NL, including Diego Montemayor, again through my Rendon line………
We are cousins many times over.
Hi Moises,
My father-in-law is a a Garza from South Texas. I have just started his family tree, and they believe their ancestry includes many generations from South Texas, and then Mexico, when South Texas was a part of Mexico. Which of your books do you recommend to help with my research?
Thank you,
Charles
If you are new to Mexican Genealogy then my book about doing research in Mexico. If you find you had ancestors in Mier or Revilla then my other books. As for websites, familysearch.org is amazing to find records.
Hello! Thank you so much for the information! I found out on Ancestry that Baltazar Juan Castano de Sosa may be my 13th great grandfather, which does make sense because my great grandmother’s family is from Saltillo. Awesome!
Baltazar Juan CASTANO de Sosa is my 12th grand father!
Mine are Alberto del Canto, Cristobal de Sagastiberri y Baltazar Castaño de Sosa
Hello Nancy, how you are related with Cristobal Sagastibberi??
Hola moises, yo desciendo de Baltasar de Sosa, Juan Navarro, Santos Rojo y el gran Alberto del Canto, sabes si los demas dejaron descendencia? Nunca a encontrado algun hijo de los demas.
Varios de ellos si dejaron pero son raros.
My paternal side of the family, García, has its origins from Nuevo León, Mexico. I can trace back to 1850 but it gets cloudy after that. Having such a common last name, recycling of first names and the inter marriages between the Villa families, does not make it easy. Supposedly, our ancestor is Capitán Lucas García Rodriguez, son of Baltazar Juan Castaño de Sosa. I’m still researching and want a concrete confirmation.
Another matter I don’t understand is, if we are supposedly related by the paternal linage of a common male ancestor, shouldn’t all the males have the same DNA haplogroup? What I’m seeing in my research is different haplogroups. Most common Y-DNA are haplogroups R, E and J. My paternal side being Haplogroup J.
Does anyone know Captain Castaño Sosa’s DNA?
Open for suggestions and ideas to expand my research.
The only confirmation is to continue to do research and hopefully find records connecting you. As to why6 different YDN haplogroups, the answer is nonpaternal events due to infidelity, and adoptions. Have you joined the We Are Cousins DNA project? You can read more about it here: https://www.wearecousins.info/dna/
Del Canto is a descendant on my mom's side. Her family was based in Roma, Texas.
Interesting man.
Make sure to join the Facebook group dedicated to Alberto del Canto Here https://www.facebook.com/groups/230563447329038
Baltazar Juan CASTANO de SOSA is my 12th great grandfather
Hey, I’m related to capitan Baltasar as well!!
Hello,
I have a couple common ancestors also I run into my father’s, father and mother’s lines crossing, I heard stories about both sides coming from Spain, and a generation of conquistadors, captain’s and a few generals. I would love to compare information!
Captain Alberto del Canto, Portuguese (my 10th great grandfather
Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Portuguese (my 9th great grandfather)
Juan Navarro, Basque (my 11th great grandfather)
Juan Alonso, Portuguese (my 11th great grandfather)
I am a descendant of Don Julian Gutierrez; one of the founders you mentioned above.
We're related Balthasar Castano de Sosa is my 10th great-grandfather
I read this with so much interest, I admire all of you that have done so much research on your family tree. I have not been as successful, my maternal ancestors were from Saltillo Coahuila. The last names were Medrano, Carmona, Espinosa and Hidalgo. I have only gone back to my great grandmother who was Maria Ignacia Carmona Medrano. I don't have the know how to follow up. Congratulations to all of you!
Thank you so much for your kind words. The key to finding ancestors is learning more about genealogy and what resources are out there. A great place to start is our conference, you can read more about it here https://wacconference.com/
Hi Baltazar Castaño de Sosa was my grand great father, I would like to know if there are documents that ca proved that he was a crypto Jewish? Because on the booked it is mention but There are no documents
Thanks
Tatiana Del Rincon
Navarro and Batazar are my 14th or 15th. This is so awesome that you are doing this. I agree we are all connected. I found out that my husband and I share a common set of great x 13 grandparents.
Capt Baltazar Castano De Sosa 1537-1595 Portugese: is my 10th great-grandfather
Castaño de Sosa, Juan Navarro, are my 12th great grandfathers as well
I started my Ancestry journey and come to find Baltazar is my 12th great grandfather
That is awesome, we are distantly related.
Juan Navarro, Basque is my 12x great grandfather.
Just came across this today and it's fantastic!
That is awesome, we are distantly related.
Hi Moses. We share the same common ancestors you identified in the list of founders. I am constantly working on my family tree and welcome comparing information to ensure my research is accurate.
Hello Deborah, at the moment I don’t have the time to compare information but you can use the database at https://lasvillasdelnorte.com/database/ to compare your research and make sure it is accurate. Just search for our common ancestor and follow your line.
Hola ! I am a Garza. my mom's parents were Garza cousins. so i have many many relatives.
they started in Cerralvo & Saltillo. Then settled in Garza Gonzalez near Monterrey. I really enjoyed reading the history behind all my family names like Trevino, Cantu , Rodirguez, Sosa etc.
I see some one these founders on my tree. I would just like to confirm it somehow since anyone can add these names to a public tree.
very exciting ! Looking forward to signing up for the virtual conference
Hello Emma, our region is unique and most of us are related somehow. Looking forward to seeing you at the virtual conference.
My great grandfathers are
Juan Navarro (11th)
Captain Alberto del Canto, Portuguese (13th)
Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Portuguese (14th)
Very fascinating. Baltazar Castano de Sosa is my 15th great grandfather, according to my research. How cool!
Our family descended from Baltazar Castano de Sosa also through his son Lucas García. Do you know why he took the García surname? Very interested to find out.
We still have family in the Nuevo León area and in the northern part of Mexico.
Baltazar Juan Castano de Sosa was my 10th great-grandfather according to research from Ancestry.com. Carmel Trevino Garza was my 3rd great-grandmother married to Felipe Torres. Their son was Modesto Torres who also has an interesting story. He was famous for the "Last Battle of the Indians" in Bexar Texas. Many of his family trees stop with the Torres surname. He eventually took the surname of his 3rd wife Susanna Dykes. And there is a large branch of us out here 🙂
Rojo,navarro,sosa,Canto
im related Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Portuguese my 15 great grand father it comes from grandfather side delrio starts our lineage it be great to get info and see if were related always enjoying finding other information of ancestors
Thank you for all your guidance and resources. I was just thinking about creating a website and this is just the information I need. None of my ancestors thus far are on your list: however, my dad is a Nunez Muzquiz from Coahuila and I'm probably related to the artist, Helena Enriqueta Huerta Muzquiz.
Baltazar Castano de Sosa, Portuguese is in my family tree.
I would like to know how they became Garcia?
This may help in that respect. I've been doing family research for over 15 years, and the change of names I've found, is a common occurrence, although I'm not sure why it would be done now unless it's just a preference.
When our relatives fled Spain and Portugal because of Isabella's and Ferdinand's edict to convert all Jews to Catholicism, it was necessary to change the name, to protect family members.
However, I am proud Sephardi/Ashkenazi Jew and will not hesitate to say my name.
https://www.tgsaustin.org/htms/Maria%20Ines%20Rodriguez/Descendants/index.htm
When I began my DNA research, I had never known my biological father, but when I received my test back, it opened up a whole world, and a family that I had been searching for.
Your 11th great grandfather, Baltazar Castano de Sosa, is my 11th great granduncle. I knew that I had Ashkenazi in heritage, but in finding out that I'm also Sephardi just absolutely completes me.
I'll be ordering your book from Amazon tonight, and I can't wait to read it!
I am on Facebook, but have assumed a "nom de plume" because I really like my privacy. But I will send you a request under the name of "Ariella Adams"
Here is a quick run-down of how we are related;
Baltazar Juan CASTANO de SOSA** (Converso/Jew) CAPTAIN/MAYOR of Saltillo (1583); 1st of 15 founders of Monterrey 1537-1595
11th great-granduncle
Maria Juana Rodriguez Castano De Sosa 1535-1595
Sister of Baltazar Juan CASTANO de SOSA** (Converso/Jew) CAPTAIN/MAYOR of Saltillo (1583); 1st of 15 founders of Monterrey
Úrsula Inés Catalina Juana Navarro Rodriguez-Benavidez 1561 1555-1613
Daughter of Maria Juana Rodriguez Castano De Sosa
Francisca Petronila Martínez Guajardo Navarro 1585-1643
Daughter of Úrsula Inés Catalina Juana Navarro Rodriguez-Benavidez 1561
Capitan Jose de la FUENTE(S) Martinez 1616-1675
Son of Francisca Petronila Martínez Guajardo Navarro
Domingo De La Fuente Flores De Valdes 1665-1746
Son of Capitan Jose de la FUENTE(S) Martinez
Manuel De La Fuente 1690-1740
Son of Domingo De La Fuente Flores De Valdes
Manuel De la Fuentes 1727-1774
Son of Manuel De La Fuente
Maria Josefa de la Fuente 1768-
Daughter of Manuel De la Fuentes
María Gertrudis Amador 1799-1799
Daughter of Maria Josefa de la Fuente
Unknown Gonzales
Son of María Gertrudis Amador
James Jim Gonzales 1879-1907
Son of Unknown Gonzales
Josie M Gonzales 1906-1996
Daughter of James Jim Gonzales
Oswald Jones 1931-2014
Son of Josie M Gonzales
Fay Elizabeth Mullins
You are the daughter of Oswald Jones
Hi, the same three founders that you are related to are the same three that I am related to! Thanks for the information, it's fascinating!