Moctezuma II is commonly known as simply Montezuma. He was the Emperor of the Aztecs when Hernando Cortez arrived and bought the downfall of the Aztec nation. Moctezuma II is our ancestor.   It is though him that we can say that we are the children of Emperors, Kings, Princes, Princesses and Knights of the Aztec Nation. It is a legacy that leads back to the beginning of the Aztec and ultimately the Mexican Nation. Moctezuma’s and our ancestry can be traced through generations back to the 14^th Century. That is 700 years of history in our family. This is 21 generations back from Rafael Trujillo, husband of Hijinia Reyes.

Hernando Cortez was the Spaniard that brought the downfall of the Aztec nation beginning in 1519. He is our ancestor. He was born in the small town of Medellin, Extremedura, Spain in 1485.  His parent were Martin de Cortez de Monroy and Dona Catalina Pizzaro Altamirano. His lineage goes back another 5 generation. This is an estimated additional 200 years of ancestry. He was a educated in law but became a soldier instead.   He made a name for himself when he sailed with Diego Velasquez to help conquer Cuba in 1511.  He was entrusted with the conquest of Mexico by the Governor of Cuba in 1518. In 1528, Cortez returned to Spain to meet some accusations against him. On his return to Mexico in 1530, financed several expeditions, one of which discovered California. In 1540, he came again to Spain, but was coldly received at Court, from which he soon retired. Cortez died at Seville, December 1547.

Tenochtitlan was the city at the center of the Aztec nation.  It is build in the place where the Mexica found an eagle eating a snake on top of a cactus at the center of a lake. This was the prophecy of where they were to build their new city. It was a city of canals, flowers, stone buildings and most of all it was a city of pyramids dedicated to the gods.

The travels of Rafael Trujillo and Hijinia Reyes began in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico.  Rafael Trujillo was born just East of this city and Hijinia Reyes was born just South of the city. They traveled North along the Camino Real to the town of Gomez Palacio.   This is where Alvaro was born. They then traveled North to the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. From there they traveled West to the town of Temosachic, Chihuahua, Mexico. I am sure there were many times that they settled along the way. All along carrying their wagon of blacksmith tools and having children. From Temosachic they traveled to El Paso, Texas, and then to Mesilla, New Mexico. Their journey was not without its anecdotes and perils. In a story told to Erlinda Trujillo by Hijinia Reyes, they left Temosachic under the cover of night. They feared for their girls safety from the likes of Pancho Villa. Elisa from El Frida, Arizona tells a story of when the family left Temosachic for El Paso, Texas. They did not travel alone.  They traveled in what could only be called a wagon train. One night they stayed in an abandoned home. The men were arrested by police thinking that they were connected to Pancho Villa. They home was being watched as gold bars had been hidden inside the home by Pancho Villa and his men. Rafael and the other men were finally released by the police when they determined that they did not have anything to do with the gold

Hijinia Reyes related a story to Lita Tafoya saying that Rafael Trujillo “Se la robo cuando ella era una niña”.   We have for quite some time assumed that Rafael had kidnapped Hijinia.   However, there may be another explanation.   The term “la robo” in Spanish is used to describe a marriage conducted without the permission of the bride’s parents.   So the question is whether Hijinia was kidnapped or did they elope.  Intriguing isn’t it! As the story continues, Hijinia was very young at the time of this event.  Hijinia relates that Rafael was quite a bit older than her.   So much so that, some people assumed that Rafael was the Father of Hijinia and not her husband.   In fact, one time at a general store,  Hijinia was looking at some candy.  The store owner asked Rafael if he wanted to buy some candy for his daughter.   Rafael was mad and made Hijinia wait outside in the carriage.

Currently underway is the authoring of a book on the Trujillo Lineage.   This book starts with our oldest known ancestor and ends with Rafael Trujillo and Hijinia Reyes. This book will cover 300 years of history of the Trujillo lineage  Our oldest known Trujillo ancestors were Juan Lopes Trujillo and Dominga de Arellano. This book represent the efforts of Rodolfo T Trujillo Jr.   This research was aided by the records of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Using the LDS Website, familysearch.com, Rodolfo was able to find the baptism records of Rafael Trujillo and Hijinia Reyes.  These records then identified their parents and grand parents.   Though a combination of baptism records and marriage records, more and more information was found. After five years of research, this lineage has finally reached the 1600’s

The Ruiz de Esparza family is a well-known Basque family that settled in Aguascalientes at the beginning of the Seventeenth Century.  The surname Esparza is said to mean one who came from the town of Esparza.  Esparza is the name of a village near Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. It is very likely that the Ruiz de Esparza family of Aguascalientes could trace its roots back to that small village.  The patriarch of this family in Mexico was Lope Ruiz de Esparza. He was originally from the city of Pamplona, Spain.  He is documented by the Catalogo de Pasajeros a Indias (Vol. III - #2.633) as having sailed from Spain to Mexico on Feb. 8, 1593.  Lope was the son of Lope Ruiz de Esparza and Ana Días de Eguino. He was a bachelor and a servant of Doñ Enrique Maleon at the time of his arrival in the new world.  After arriving in Mexico, Lope made his way to Aguascalientes. About a year later, he married Francisca de Gabai Navarro y Moctezuma.  In the following decades, the Ruiz de Esparza family intermarried extensively with other prominent Spanish families. These early families of Aguascalientes include Romo de Vivar, Macias Valdez, and Tiscareno de Molina. The Trujillo Family is descended from members of these prominent Spanish families

Hernando Cortez and his fellow Conquistadores took Aztec women as mistresses and wives. This union of Spanish and Indian brought about the creation of a new race of people. This new race came to be known as Mestizo. The term Mestizo comes from the Latin word for mixed. This new race of people have spread to include the majority of peoples in Latin America. The need for such a word came from the preoccupation that the Spanish had with race.  Additionally, the Spanish had a caste system.  This caste system is a hereditary system of social class where everyone has their place in society

Vicente Trujillo is the lost son.  He is the 5th child of Rafael Trujillo and Hijinia Reyes. He was born in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. It is suspected that he was born in the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico He was trained to be a blacksmith by his father. He immigrated to the USA on February 17, 1909 with his family. At that time he was 9 years old and had a scar on his right cheek. He is even listed as a blacksmith on the 1910 US Census in Mesilla, New Mexico, USA. The oral history is that Vicente Trujillo moved to California about 1920.   Around 1920, Hijinia Trujillo received a letter from him living in San Ysidro, California.   The letter stated that he had found work in another location and that he would write her when he arrived there.   No letter was ever received from him again.   What Happened to Vicente?  Oral histories from various sides of the family differ on what happened after this. Some say that he joined the Merchant Marines in San Diego and was never heard from again.  Others state that his personal effects arrived in a trunk addressed to his mother.  Vicente fate is a family mystery that many would like solved. If anyone has a picture of Vicente, please let me know.

Every three years, the Alvaro Trujillo family holds a Trujillo Family Reunion. This year the reunion will be held at the Mogote campground in Conejos County, Colorado. The campground is located just 17 miles West of the town of Antonito, Colorado. It will be held July 11, 2008 through July 13, 2008. Previous family reunions have been held in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Deming, New Mexico, in El Frida, Arizona and in Wilmington, California. At the family reunion you can expect to find lots of good food, friendship, dancing and more. Be sure to make your reservations early. Campsites and hotels are available. For more information please contact:

Lena and Josef Lucero
PO Box 1551
Alamosa CO 81101

Or email them at:

lena_lucero@hotmail.com

A new website is currently underway that will cover all topics Trujillo.  The website will feature information on the new book. It will also host information on the travels of the Trujillo lineage. Most of all this website will host a wealth of information on the genealogy of the Trujillo family. When the website is ready, I’ll get the word out to all.   Email me to be sure that you get updated information.