I would like to invite viewers of the Ranchos forum
with the Cervantes surname from Mexico to join the
Cervantes DNA Surname Project at
http://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.asp?code=L97208&special=True

The Cervantes surname in Mexico has its roots as far
back as the early 16th Century. You have two
important individuals with this surname.

The first one is Leonel de Cervantes, he came with
Hernan Cortes in the conquest of Mexico in 1521.
Leonel de Cervantes was born in Burguillos del Cerro,
Spain and was a member of a noble family. He was also
a Commander of the Santiago Order of Knights. Leonel
de Cervantes escorted Moctezuma out to address his
people who were in revolt against the Conquistadors.
Moctezuma was then stoned by his subjects. He died
later of these wounds. Just after the conquest Cortes
allowed Leonel to return home to Spain upon which
Cervantes promised he would return to Mexico with his
five daughters and marry them to Conquistadors. He
kept his promise. He settled in Mexico City and also
had a son and another daughter born in New Spain
(Mexico). His wife was the former Leonor de Andrada.
He died on September 20, 1561. He was buried in the
Monastery of San Francisco, Mexico City. A descendant
was governor of Oaxaca in 1981.

The second person with the Cervantes surname is Juan
Cervantes Casaus El Factor, he came to Mexico City in
1530 from Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain. He was sent by
Carlos V King of Spain to help reorganize the Spanish
colony in New Spain (Mexico). What is interesting
about Juan Cervantes Casaus El Factor is that he
married one of the daughters of Leonel de Cervantes
and Leonor de Andrada in the middle 1530?s. His wife
was the former Luisa Andrada y Lara. He acknowledged
a distant family relationship to Leonel de Cervantes.
Juan Cervantes Casaus El Factor had 12 children with
Luisa Andrada y Lara, many of which were male with
this surname.

Most modern day Mexican historians such as Jose
Ignacio Davila Garibe and Jesus Amaya claim that 70%
of people with the surname Cervantes are descendant
from either or both these two individuals.
Nevertheless, there is the problem of how many other
trunks there are for this surname.

The project goals are to clarify the problems that the
gap in the paper trial has left the Cervantes history
in Mexico. Such as:
1) Do most Cervantes? from Mexico descend from a
single progenitor?
2) Where there are gaps in the paper trial, hopefully
sibling relationships can be made that can enable one
to follow the records of a sibling that are more
clear.
3) Were there name changes, are there people with the
surname Cervantes that are descendant from other
surnames or visa versa.

Sincerely,
Angel R. Cervantes
Administrator of the Cervantes Surname Project


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