Matías López del Castillo

  Noted events in his life were:

• Information. ²³⁹
Cabra, in the region of Andalucia, lies between the Sierra de la Cabra and the Sierra de Montilla about 35 miles southeast of the city of Córdoba.

Some have assumed that Matías died soon after making his will in 1632. But then there is his reported marriage to Ana Tapia in 1646 and the birth of Pedro in 1649 which indicates that he did not die in 1632.

From the Hispanic Genealogical Research Center Database

Herencia Apr 1996 pp. 31-42

• Background Information. ²⁵²
Matías López del Castillo was thirty-five years old in 1626. He was married to the daughter of Ana de Bustillos and living in Santa Fé. His wife was therefore an Archuleta, daughter of Asencio. Matías was also in the soldier-escort of 1628. One daughter of his seems to be have been Ana López del Castillo, the wife of Juan de Herrera. After the Reconquest there were more family matches between this Herrera family and that of Pedro López del Castillo.

~ The Origins of New Mexico Families, p. 55

• Will. ²⁵⁰
A fragment of the will of Matías López del Castillo was uncovered by Rob Martínez in the collection of the Achivo Histórico del Parral. The fragment contains information about the place of birth López del Castillo and the names of his parents.

Chávez identified López del Castillo as having been born circa 1591. In his will, dated 1632, Matías declared he was a native of Cabra, in the province of Córdoba and located about 35 miles southeast of the City of Córdoba. Cabra lays between the Sierra de la Cabra and the Sierra de Montilla in the region of Andalucía.

Matías López del Castillo named his parents as Juan del Castillo and María Días (Díaz) de Cuéllar. Information about the wife and children of Matías were not located in the fragment, but the available information makes clear reference to the fact that he was in New Mexico prior to making his will. If he died soon after making the will, he was about 41 years of age when at the time of his death. Chávez indicated that one of his daughters was apparently Ana López del Castillo, the wife of Juan de Herrera.

From Beyond Origins, Vol. 7
Researcher: Robert Martínez
Narrative Summary: José Antonio Esquibel
Source: Archivo Histórico del Parral, Reel 1632, Frame 180.

Matías married María Ana Archuleta, daughter of Asencio de Archuleta and Ana Pérez de Bustillo, about 1634 in Santa Fé, Santa Fé, Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España ²⁵².(María Ana Archuleta was born about 1608 in Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España and died before 1646 in Nuevo Méjico, Nueva España.)

Matías next married Ana de Tapia, daughter of Juan de Tapia Capitán and Elena Ruíz, about 1646. (Ana de Tapia was born about 1632 and died about 1692.)