The name Manriquez existed in Tepehuanes, Durango since the
mid-1700’s but today, is not a common known name in that municipality of Tepehuanes,
Durango Mexico. However, since the Manriquez surname existed in the
Tepehuanes for more than 250 years, the Manriquez
ancestors are part of most family trees. For most of the time the Manriques lived in Tepehuanes, their main residence was a town called Carreras, Tepehuanes, Durango. Only a few miles from the head of the municipality.
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| Pueblo De Los Carrera (2015) |
First we note that the name Manriquez has historically been
spelled a number of different ways. The first name in Tepehuanes was spelled
“Manriques”. The surname Manriques originated in Spain. This surname is one of
the earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain defined as patronymic surnames. Patronymic surnames are
derived from the father's given name. Spanish patronymic names originated to mean
“Son of Manrique”. Another spelling is
“Manrrique”, “Manrriques” or “Manrriquez” all names have been used in Durango
throughout the history of the name.
What is unique about the surname
“Manriques” is that the genealogical history has been traced and documented in
several books for almost a thousand years. This name is one of the most
documented surnames in the history of Mexico and Spain. In Mexico, it came from Spaniards like the
first Manrique, Alvaro Manrique De Zuniga, also known as “Marques of
VillaManrique”. There were many other
Manrique families that came to Mexico from Spain. The first families likely
migrated to Guanajuato where many Manriques still live today. In Spain, the name derived from the family of
Pedro
Gonzalez de Lara and Eva, daughter of AImeric V, Viscount of
Rochechourat in France. They named one of his sons “Manrique”, the Spanish
derivation of the French name
“Almanric”. Manrique de
Lara served at the service of the King and was
awarded many noble titles and rights.
His name was to be passed on to his descendants and “Manriques de Lara” became a Spanish surname that was tagged
along with maternal names that survived
for many generations. There are several Spanish families in Guanajuato and
Durango that carried the “Manriques De Lara” surname, even after several
hundred years and many generations.
Pedro Antonio Manriques and Maria
De Los Dolores Martinez (Españoles)
Joseph Simon Felix Manriques (born in 1766) and Maria Carmila Del
Refugio Saucedo Carrera (Españoles)
Simon and Camila had at least
five children, named Juan Jose Baptista (b.1795), Jose Manuel (b.1798), Jose
Francisco Polonio (b.1800), Maria De La Concepcion (b. 1801), Jose Francisco
Bernardino (b.1807), Jose Maria Balvino (b. 1810) and Juan Jose (b.1817)
Maria Camila Del Refugio Saucedo Carrera
family
Maria Camila Del Refugio Saucedo Carrera was great-granddaughter of Joseph Carrera, who lived in Tepehuanes at the end of the seventeenth century, born in 1694. The first Carrera was likely his father also named Joseph Carrera who lived in the Tepehuanes region around 1680-1690. The elder Joseph is the first ancestor in Tepehuanes of most, if not all persons with surname of Carrera, including Roman Catholic Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera now serving in Mexico City.Maria Camila Del Refugio’s parents were Antonio Bartolome Saucedo and Maria Getrudis Carrera Hernandes.Juan Joseph Carrera De la Pena and Maria De La Candelaria Hernandez were the grandparents of Maria Camila Del Refugio.
Joseph Carrera and Ignacia De la Peña Del Corral were the great
grandparents. Ignacia De la Peña Del
Corral was granddaughter of Ignacio Del Corral, son of Captain Francisco Del
Corral. The story of the Del Corrals can
be read in this link: Los Corral De Presidios, Tepehuanes
Durango.
Joseph’s children were granted land
close to Tepehuanes and they founded the town known today as Carreras, Durango.
Joseph
Francisco Manriques Saucedo and Maria
Antonia Melero Corral b.1811 (Espanoles)
Joseph Francisco married Maria Antonia Melero Corral on February 10 1833. They had at least six children. Francisco Jesus De La Trinidad (b.1836), Maria Luisa De La Trinidad (b. 1838), Jose Francisco Agustin (b. 1843), Maria Francisca Teresa De Jesus (b. 1845), Francisca (b. 1847), Pedro (b. 1848) and Emeterio (b.1837).
Maria Antonia Melero Corral Family
Maria Antonia was daughter of Vicente
Melero and Maria Petra Corral. This
family history has not been researched but it is known that the Melero family
is a common name in Santiago Papasquiaro and Tepehuanes and most likely descends
from the first Melero in Durango, Alonzo Perez Melero. He was described originating from Villa de
Ximena, Reinos De Castilla in Spain. On
February 13, 1683, he married Maria De Barraza, daughter of Captain Juan De La
Barraza, a conquistador in Tepehuanes in charge of pacification of the
territory after the Tepehuanes Indian Revolt of 1616.
Emeterio Manrriquez Melero (b.
1837) and Victoria Casares Martinez (b. 1855)
Emeterio and Victoria married August 4, 1876 and they had at
least four children. They were both residents
of Carreras. Their children were Constancia
(b. 1879), Leornardo (b. 1880), Maria De Los Refugios (b. 1883) and Luisa (b. 1891). The birth of their children state that they
were born in El Rancho Venado, known today as La Purisima. The Manrriquez up at this time had been living
in Carreras and, most likely all Manrriques from Carreras are related to the descendants
of Emeterio and Victoria Casares. The
Manriquez Casares family moved from Carreras to el Venado between 1876 and
1878, and their children were born in the town of El Venado now called La
Purisima.
Victoria Casares Martinez Family
Victoria
Casares Martinez was daughter of Atanacio Casares
Nevares. Note that the name Casares and Nevares are spelled in the original
spelling of these names. Around mid 1900s, these names were spelled in the
modern spelling of today Nevarez and Casarez. During
the time of the educational schools expansion, Mexico standardized the spelling
of many names and the names were changed.
The Nevares originated from one
individual that lived in Santiago Papasquiaro and born about 1595. His name was
Sargento Mayor Christobal Heredia de Nevares and his lineage is shared by the
majority of families in the Tepehuanes municipality. It is discussed amongst genealogist that his
ancestors were one of the original families in Guadiana, now known as the city Durango
- Likely descending from Juan or Christobal Heredia.
Cipriano Diaz (b. 1875) and Constansa Manriquez Casares (b. 1879)
Constansa and Cipriano Diaz married in el Venado February 1,
1899. Cipriano originated from Santa
Maria De Oro and was son of Manuela Diaz.
They had four children – Maria Enriqueta Guadalupe (b. 1899),
Maria Petra, Manuela (b. 1903), and Jose
(b. 1905)
The Diaz Manriquez were one of the first families the
migrated to the United States of America from Tepehuanes. Cipriano actually left Constansa in Mexico for California after the birth of Maria Enriqueta. He came back a number of times and after the
birth of Jose, the family moved together to Los Angeles. The family continued
to come and go from the USA and
Tepehuanes. Manuela married Aurelio
Nevarez in Los Angeles California on May 4, 1923. The picture below shows
Manuela and Aurelio and their son also named Aurelio.
Manuela and Aurelio Nevarez and son
Petra Diaz Manriques became a widow and she returned to
Mexico and opened a small restaurant in the town of Tepehuanes. The picture below shows Petra’s son Antonio
and Manuela’s son Aurelio Nevarez.
Antonio Diaz and Aurelio Nevarez
The family continued to live mostly in California. The
picture below is a picture of Manuela’s grandchildren while at a USC college
game.
The picture below is Jose Diaz visiting Los Angeles circa
1928.
Jose returned to Tepehuanes along with the family and married
Martina Corral Gomez and had a family of seven.
He worked as a laborer farming and ranching. The family migrated to
Chicago in 1973. Jose's descendants are almost reaching one hundred.
A new Narrative about the Nevarez Family (2023)
