Alberto del Canto (1547 - 1611)

Born 1 Jan 1547 in Praia da Victoria, Terceira, Açores, Portugal

Husband of Estefanía de Montemayor y Porcallo de la Cerda — married 1585 in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

Descendants

Died Jan 1611 at about age 64 in Saltillo, Virreinato de Nueva España (Coahuila, México)

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Alberto del Canto is Notable.

Biografía

Don Alberto del Canto mantuvo una relación adulterina con doña Juana Porcayo, lo que provocaría la ira del viejo don Diego Montemayor quien vengó la afrenta de infidelidad matando a su esposa con su propia espada. Tras el asesinato de su mujer, don Diego huiría al norte y viviría una vida salvaje. Eventualmente, el Virrey exoneró a don Diego de todos los cargos...^[1]

Biography in English

-Alberto del Canto, (1547-1611), Conquistador, Explorer, Politician, Settler, Frontiersman

A major historical figure in the history of northern Mexico is the Portuguese adventurer Alberto del Canto, the founder of the city of Saltillo. A conquistador through and through, he led an action-packed life full of daring escapades, passionate romantic affairs, and battles with the Indians that fills the pages of the seventeenth century chroniclers. The do Canto Family's Alberto del Canto was born Alberto do Canto (the original Portuguese spelling) in 1547 in the Azore Islands in the mid- Atlantic Ocean, on the island called llha Terceira (Third Island). Do Canto was the second of seven children born to Sebastiao Martins Do Canto and Maria Dias Vieira, both of Portuguese noble extraction. His father, Sebastiao, was a respected professional scribe in the villa of Praia.^[2]

Del Canto had been a lover to Montemayor's wife. Montemayor had killed his wife with his sword upon learning of the affair and vowed to kill del Canto. In 1585, del Canto married Estefania, the daughter of his arch rival Diego de Montemayor, and they had three children, Diego, Miguel and Elvira. While Montemayor had the opportunity to kill del Canto, he chose instead to spare his life, as he was the father of his grandchildren.^[3]

In 1596 Estefania and Del Canto separated when her father, Don Diego permanently established present day Monterrey. Estefania moved there with her children, and her children took the last name of Montemayor.

Alberto Del Canto was born as Alberto do Canto on the Portuguese Isle of Terceira, Azores, in 1547. His genealogy extends back to the late 1200's to the Englishman Lord John of Kent. Price Edward of England and his "sidekick" Lord John of Kent took an army to the Iberian peninsula to aide King Peter (Pedro) of Spain in driving out the Moors. During this endeavor, Lord John of Kent married a Sephardic Jew in Portugal. The children changed the last name of Kent to the Portuguese form, Canto.

In 1562 del Canto came to New Spain and joined forces with Gov. Ybarra in the area of Zacatecas. With Ybarra he learned the art of soldiering and survival in a very primitive world. He became very well liked by Ybarra and this would probably save his life during the Inquisition. By 1576 del Canto had explored Northeast Mexico and South Texas as far as the townships of Utopia and Bandera.

In 1577 he established the mining communities of Saltillo, San Gregorio (Cerralvo), and Santa Lucia (present day Monterrey). He assumed governorship of much of this area that he names Nueva Viscaya. Del Canto recruited or enslaved many of the indigenous people to work his mines.

He was ordered arrested under the Inquisition in 1579 for having slaves and for a variety of vague reasons, but not specifically for being a Jew. However, del Canto was incredibly intelligent, was able to escape and evade recapture until his assigned captor died and the issue was dropped. He was able to live with the Chichimeca Indians of which he was accused of enslaving to do work in the mines.

He married (1) Catalino Alfaro. She died in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico; (2) Estefania (Estefana) Montemayor Porcallo (1573-1660) in 1585 in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico

Del Canto died in 1611 at his Hacienda de Buena Vista, Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico. Many of the grandchildren of Alberto del Canto married the grandchildren of Marcos Alonso de la Garza.^[4]

Children of Alberto del Canto and Catalina de Alfaro: Captain Alberto del Canto II

Children of Alberto del Canto and Estefania de Montemayor Porcallo:

1. Miguel b. 1586/88, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico^[5]; d. after 11 Oct 1643^[6][7](June 1644), Hacienda de los Nogales, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. m. Monica Rodriguez Trevino, b. Mexico City D.F. (Ciudad de Mexico), Mexico,^[8]
2. Elvira b. circa 1586/90, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico; d. Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; m. (1) Jusepe Tenorio d. Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico^[9]; m. (2) Pedro de la Vega d. after 1635, Nuevo Leon, Mexico^[10]
3. Diego, b. 1589/90, Mexico City, D.F., Mexico; d. Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
4. Maria

Fuentes

1. ↑ Lummis, Charles F. (1921). Cuyas, Arturo, ed. Los exploradores españoles del siglo XVI : vindicación de la acción colonizadora española en América. Barcelona: Casa Editorial Araluce. p. 72. Consultado el 14 de julio de 2014.
2. ↑ The Conquistadores and Crypto-Jews of Monterrey, David T. Raphael - Carmi House, 2001.
3. ↑ Alberto del Canto on vsalgs.org/stnemgenealogy/acanto.html
4. ↑ The Monitor, 2001
5. ↑ del Hoyo, Engenio. Historia del Nuevo Reino de Leon, Page 102
6. ↑ Miguel's Will is dated 11 October 1643 according to Carl Laurence Duaine's book, With All Arms, page 108.
7. ↑ Villanueva de Cavazos, Lilia E. Testamentos Coloniales de Monterrey, page18
8. ↑ Monica Rodriguez Trevino was a daughter of Diego Rodriguez Sosa and Sebastiana Trevino Farias.
9. ↑ Jusepe Tenorio was killed by Indians (With All Arms by Carl Laurence Duaine. Page 108)
10. ↑ Marriage of Elvira and Pedro, With All Arms, A Study of a Kindred Group, by Carl Laurence Duaine

• Duaine, Carl Laurence. With All Arms. Page 103.
• Garmendia Leal, Guillermo. Fundadores de Nueva Galicia - Guadalajara - Tomo I. Page 37.
• Jones, Oakah L., Jr. Nueva Vizcaya, Heartland of the Spanish Frontier.
• Inclan, John D. Alberto del Canto Descendant Report (pdf)
• https://www.geni.com/people/Capitán-Alberto-do-Canto-e-Dias-de-Vieira/6000000000406334064

• Wikipedia: Alberto del Canto