Leonor Cortés Moctezuma facts for kids

Doña Leonor Cortés Moctezuma was a very important person in early New Spain (what is now Mexico). She was born around 1528 and passed away before 1594. Her father was Hernán Cortés, the famous Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of Mexico. Her mother was Doña Isabel Moctezuma, who was the eldest daughter of Moctezuma II, the powerful Aztec Emperor. Leonor was recognized by her father. She later married Juan de Tolosa, who helped find the rich silver mines in Zacatecas.

Early Life and Family

Doña Isabel Moctezuma, Leonor's mother, had been married and widowed four times by the time she was about 17 or 18 years old. After her fourth husband died in 1527, Hernán Cortés, who was the ruler of New Spain, invited her to live in his palace. Soon after, she became pregnant with her first child.

The relationship between Cortés and Doña Isabel was not easy. When Doña Isabel was pregnant, Cortés arranged for her to marry one of his officers, Pedro Gallego de Andrade. About four or five months later, in 1528, Doña Leonor was born.

Leonor was separated from her mother and raised in the home of Juan Gutiérrez de Altamirano. However, Cortés officially recognized Leonor as his daughter. He made sure that she would have a comfortable and prosperous life.

Marriage and Wealth

Doña Leonor had two of the most important family names in Mexico: Cortés and Moctezuma. This, along with her family connections, made her extremely wealthy.

Her father, Hernán Cortés, died in Spain in 1547. He left her 10,000 ducats, which was a large sum of money. Her mother, Doña Isabel Moctezuma, also gave her part of her own estate. It seems they had become close again.

Leonor agreed to marry Juan de Tolosa. He was one of the people who discovered the rich silver mines and helped found the city of Zacatecas in 1546. In 1550, Leonor traveled from Mexico City to Zacatecas with her half-brother, Luis Cortés, to get married. The important families in Zacatecas were a close group. Many were Basques who married into Spanish and Aztec noble families.

Leonor's Children

Leonor and Juan de Tolosa had at least three children who became well-known.

• Juan de Tolosa Cortés de Moctezuma was born in the 1550s. He became a priest and served as the Vicar of Zacatecas.
• Leonor de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma was also born in the 1550s. She married into another important Basque family that helped found Zacatecas. Her husband was Cristóbal de Zaldivar Mendoza.
• Isabel de Tolosa Cortés Moctezuma was born around 1568. She married Juan de Oñate, who later founded the Spanish colony of New Mexico in 1598.

Records also mention other daughters whose names are not known. They were living in a convent in Seville, Spain, in 1604.

Death

The exact date of Doña Leonor's death is not known. However, it is believed that she, like her husband, passed away before the year 1594.

See also

In Spanish: Leonor Cortés Moctezuma para niños