In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

In Service to the Spanish Crown 355 Francisco de Mendoza and doña Leonor de Grimaldos. In this instance the name “Ysabel” was first written, then crossed out and replaced with the name Leonor. Like the other witnesses he concluded by stating that each of these individuals were old Christians. He signed his name to the statement before Diego Remoludo, royal scribe. The exact social benefit acquired by Tomé Domínguez and Elena de la Cruz as a result of documenting proof of old Christian lineage is not known. They had been married a little over eight years when the process regarding Elena’s proof of lineage was completed. The relationship with Francisco Franco was strengthened when he became the godfather of a child of Tomé and Elena in December 1625.21 By 1632, Tomé and Elena were still residents of Mexico City, where he was a wine merchant, selling his wine on the Calle de Tacuba in Mexico City, next to the blacksmith.22 Apparently, Tomé sold wine to the friars of the Franciscan order, in particular those of New Mexico. On March 4, 1633, fray Estéban de Perea, commissary of New Mexico, wrote a letter to his superior in Mexico City in which he mentioned a case he was submitting to officials of the Inquisition against Tomé Domínguez, a resident of Mexico City and the brother of Juan Mateo.23 The nature of this denunciation was not specified in Perea’s letter. Nonetheless, this brief reference indicates that Tomé Domínguez was very likely involved in commerce with New Mexico by 1631, having established an economic relationship that would eventually lead him to relocate his family to New Mexico. The Domínguez de Mendoza Family in New Spain Tomé Domínguez and Elena de la Cruz were the parents of fourteen known children, all born in New Spain. On July 4, 1617, this couple presented their firstborn son, Juan [sic; José] for baptism at the church of San José in Puebla de los Ángeles, New Spain, in the company of his godparents, Gerónimo Riguerio and his wife doña Antonia de Arcega.24 Curiously, the name Juan was crossed out in the text of the baptismal record, and the name José was written in its place and again in the margin of the record. This is an unusual occurrence in sacramental records. There is no other account of Tomé Domínguez and Elena de la Cruz having a son named José, and thus this son may have died as a child. Clearly, this firstborn son was not the same person as Juan Domínguez de Mendoza, whose distinguished military career is preserved in his records of service, since the records indicated that he was born in May 1627. In the following year, Tomé and Elena’s second child, Francisco Domínguez de Mendoza, received the sacrament of baptism on October 28, 1618, in the church of San 356 Part Three José in Puebla de los Ángeles, New Spain.25 The next known child, María Domínguez de la Cruz, was baptized in the sagrario chapel of the Catedral de México in Mexico City on November 4, 1620.26 The Domínguez family was back in Puebla de los Ángeles for the birth of Domingo Domínguez de la Cruz, who received the sacrament of baptism in the chapel of the Cathedral of Puebla de los Ángeles on January 23, 1622.27 Tomé Domínguez and Elena de la Cruz apparently relocated permanently to Mexico City by 1623. During this year their fourth son was christened Tomé at the sagrario chapel of the Catedral de México on February 19, 1623.28 The child’s godfather was a man named Gaspar Rodríguez. Records indicate five of the next seven children of the Domínguez family were born in Mexico City between 1627 and 1636. Pedro Domínguez de la Cruz was christened on July 10, 1624.29 A second daughter named María Domínguez de la Cruz was baptized December 31, 1625.30 Juan Domínguez de Mendoza, the subject of this book, was baptized in the chapel of the Mexico City cathedral on May 30, 1627, and Damiana Domínguez de Mendoza received the sacrament of baptism on October 4, 1628.31 Four younger daughters of Tomé Domínguez and Elena de la Cruz were Leonor Domínguez de Mendoza (baptized March 5, 1630, Mexico City), Francisca Domínguez de Mendoza...

Share