Beatrice de Estrada

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beatriz de Estrada (* around 1524 in Ciudad Real , Spain , † 1590 in Mexico City ) called " la Santa " (Spanish " the saint ") was the youngest daughter of the treasurer of the Kingdom of New Galicia , Alonso de Estrada ( 1470–1530) and the Flores Gutiérrez de la Caballería marina.

Her father was brought up at the court of Aragón. It is believed that he was an illegitimate son of Ferdinand II (Aragón) . Her mother came from the crypto-Jewish Gutiérrez de la Caballería family, who belonged to the highest ranks of the aristocracy in the royal courts of Aragon and Castile. King Charles I of Spain sent her father to New Galicia to control the possible mismanagement of Hernán Cortés . In the Kingdom of New Galicia, the Estradas quickly belonged to the politically most powerful and wealthiest of the newly founded empire.

Beatriz de Estrada married Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1539 , who was appointed governor of New Galicia by Antonio de Mendoza in the same year . Beatriz de Estrada and Francisco Vásquez de Coronado had a son and four daughters.

Her husband's expedition

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado was appointed city councilor of Mexico City in 1538 and then governor of New Galicia . The four cities of Guadalajara , Compostela , Purificación and Culiacán were inhabited in this province at that time . On January 6, 1540, the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, appointed his friend, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, to command a voyage of discovery to the Seven Cities of Cibola . He was to lead the army with 350 Spaniards, 300 Indians and 1000 slaves as well as about 1500 animals. Beatrice did not accompany her husband on this trip according to the moral code of the time. The Estrada family's money covered about a third of the cost of this expedition. The investment didn't pay off, however, because Coronado couldn't find any transportable gold. After his return, Coronado had to answer in court for the failure.

But his wife's good relations protected him.

bibliography

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Estrada, Beatrice de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Wife of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
DATE OF BIRTH around 1524
PLACE OF BIRTH Ciudad Real
DATE OF DEATH 1590
Place of death Mexico city