Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-22
BLOOD OF THE AzTECS
Living Descendants of Mon
tezuma.
HE LEFT FOUR CHILDREN
Isabella Was Married Four
Times.
WAS THE WARD OF CORTEZ
Eugene, Empress of France, Traced
Her Lineage to the Last of the
Aztec Monarchs.
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.

Bf WILLIAM Il CUR1lS.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
the Chicago Record Herald.
CITY OF MEXICO, April 16 1906.
Every now and then a taWny infant is
brought to the office of vital statistics IN
the City of~Mexico and registered as a de-
soendant of Montezuma. The latest
Robert Luis Cuathtemoc Horcasitas Aba
diano who was reported to be a direct de-
scendant of the Aztec emperor IN the thir-
teenth generation. Its parents are LUIS
Sierra Horcastas and Dolores Abadiano de
Horcasitas. There is no doubt about their
ancestry. They can trace 1t through the
Count Of RevilagigeGo, one Of the proud
est grandees in Spain, and they receive
an annual pension of several hundred dol
lars from the Mexican government.
Several other descendants of the Aztec
monarch live in Mexico. One of them is
a wen-known musician, another is a promi-
nent corporation lawyer, a third is
broker all pure blood Aztecs and bearing
the name of MonteZuma. There is also a
family of Marcados and another called
Sierras who also traced their TO pre-
historic rulers OF Mexico, while over IN
Spain the blood of MOntezuma flows in the
veins OF a dozen or more of the proudest
families. The race has been prolific. There
thousands OF descendants, including
LuScIlId, liie GA-t-IlpISSS OF i rance, WHO
can trace her lineage through the Miravai-
les family to the last of the Aztecs
Children Left by Montezuma.
When he died Montezuma committed his
children, one son and three daughters, to
the care of Cortez, who promised to treat
them as If they were his own offspring.
Whether the conquistador kept that prom
ise In the case of Isabella, one of the
daughters. is disputed. However, he had
them all properly baptized in the Christian
faith, gave them Christian names and sent
them to Spain. where they were educated
under the direct supervision of the chap
la!ns of the imperial household of Charles
V. The son and two of the daughters dis
appeared from history and we know nothIlg
about them. but Isabella, formerly the
Princess TecuichpoctI, was conspicuous
figure in both Mexican and Spanish So
Getty and had a remarkable matrimonial eX-
rerience. She was married four times.
i hree or her husbands were SpaniardS, one
was an Aztec, Chauhtemoc, or GuatimotZln,
the nephew and successor of Montezuma
upon the throne OF Mexico, who was put 10
death by the Spaniards in 1922. 1t is stoutly
asserted that Cortez ordered his eXecu-
ton in order to possess his wife. His brotn-
er, INSTRUMENTATION, was hung by Cor
tez in 1925 and the imperial line of the
AZtecs became extinct. After the death of
the heroic Cuauhtemoc, whose statue in
bronze is one of the most conspicuous en-
beIhshments Of the City of Mexico. the
Princess Tecuichpocu came under the care
OF CorteZ, and by his orders was baptized
by the name of Isabella de Montezuma
Shortly after she married Alonzo de
GraGo, an illuStrious Spanish cavalier, but
he did not live long to enjoy her society
ana left no heirs. She then married Don
Pedro Gallego, also soldier of high char
acter and good family, by whom she had
two sons. How and when he was removed
from his temporal sphere of usefulness IS
he vTra lyf0fy ,g rlra
beautiful Isabella appears as the loving
spouse of Juan Cano de Saavadra, by whom
she had three sons and daughter. Their
eides: son, who was named after his father
married one Of the daughters of the Duke
of Toledo and thus became a relative OF
Don Diego Columbus, eldest son of the dis
coverer of America, who found his wife IN
the same family. Juan Sano de Saavadra
II was enobled and had a long list of chill
dren, who married into several of the
pfoudest families of Spain, including that
OF the Duke Of Medina Cell the patron of
Columbus Their descendants are now al
NEST as numerous as the stars in the frrna-
ment. They have inherited title after title
one OF the daughters married the Duke OF
Lancaster, an English nobleman of high de-
gree, and her descendants Of the present
day can boast of Aztec blood.
Present Head Of the Family.
The present head Of the family, who is so
recognized by the Mexican government and
'
cente Augustin Maldonado Carbajal Cano
Montezuma Marquis de Castellano, OF Sal
amanca, Spain. He is the eldest son OF the
eldest son or the eldest daughter through
fourteen generations of Isabella Cano de
saavadra. nee Tecuichpoctl Montezuma.
The marquis has large estates in the
neighborhood of Salamanca, but they are
heavily incumbered, the soil Is worn out
and, like all of the land in that neighbor-
hood, produces but little. They are only half
cultivated The marquis himself and his
tenants are old-fashioued, conservative peo-
pie, who Will not adopt modern ideas or use
modern implements, and run their farms
very much as their ancestors did in the iif-
teenth century The marquis is about sew
enty years old He was educated at the "a
nous old University of Salamanca where
Ferdinand and Isabella sent Columbus to ex-
plain his theories before the faculty of Do
minican monks. He has studied law but
has never practiced before the bar. His
time has been occupied In the contemplation
OF his own virtues and In the supervision OF
his estates. His wife is Sonora bona Maria
del Rosario Gonzalez de la Riva Tres
Palacios, daughter of the Marquis Villa
caZar, head of one of the most ancient fam
lies IN the kingdom They have two sons,
Don Fernando, who is a progressive man,
lawyer of ability and a member of the
chamber of deputies of Spain, and Don Jose
the younger son, who has gained much rep
utation as musical composer and perform
er. There Is a daughter, also widow Of
Count de Monterron of noble BASQUE
family, who, Notwithstanding her aristoa
cratic connections, is following a scientific
career and Is prominent in educational af-
fairs in Spain.
The collateral branches of the family in
elude some of the noblest and most famous
Of Spanish grandees. The Count of Mira
wales is perhaps the richest and most in
huential He has large estates near Graz
NADIA and is a nephew OF the ex- Empress
Eugene. The Duke of Brabantes is also
wealthy and nrOnainHnt both Ia SoHiatu nd
politics. He and his ancestors have held
numerous positions OF honor and RESPONSE
bility under the Spanish crown. The Mar
quis del Aquiior Fuerte is also prominent
The other houses who are recognized a de-
scended from Montezuma are represented
by the Marquis Of Sardoal, the Marquis OF
Puerta SECURE, the Marquis of Nova Mori-