Beatriz de Palacios facts for kids
Beatriz de Palacios was a brave woman soldier, nurse, and explorer. She was part of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Beatriz was of both African and Spanish background. Many people believe she was one of the first people of mixed race, with some African heritage, to arrive in the Americas.
Biography
Beatriz was sometimes called "La Parda" because of her skin color. Pardo was a term used back then for people of mixed ancestry. She came to the Americas with an expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez. Her husband, Pedro de Escobar, who was Spanish, and her father, Cristobal Palacios, also came with her.
Important writers like Francisco Cervantes de Salazar and Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote about her. They often said how much they admired her. We don't know her exact birth date.
Beatriz worked as a nurse under the command of Isabel Rodríguez. But she also fought on the front lines! She often took over guard duties for her husband when he was tired. She took care of his wounds and helped other injured soldiers. She also saddled horses, looked after weapons, and did everything a soldier would do.
Palacios showed great courage during a difficult event called La Noche Triste (The Sad Night). She helped the Spanish troops escape from Tenochtitlan, which was the capital city of the Aztec Empire. Later, she helped fight to retake the city during the Fall of Tenochtitlan.
Both Beatriz and her husband survived the conquest. They later started a family in Cuba.
See also
- Beatriz González
- Isabel Rodríguez
- Juana Mansilla
