In 1924 the prestigious genealogist J. Ignacio Dávila Garibi published a family tree regarding the de la Cueva family that traveled from Spain to the kingdom of Nueva Galicia. This family tree began Pedro de la Cueva in the 12th century and ended on his son Ignacio Luis Alberto Dávila Garibi y González (born on November 23rd, 1922 in Guadalajara, Jalisco).
The genealogy was based on the litigations of hidalguía that Beltrán de la Cueva Mendoza y Castro and his siblings won in 1547.
Recently I have been able to gain access to these dossiers and I discovered something that Dávila Garibi ommited and that is of capital importance: the jewish lineage of said family.These dossiers are found in the archive of the Real Chancillería de Granada (ES.18087.ARCHGR/01RACH/04569-026).
In 1546 Beltrán de la Cueva along with his sisters Catalina and Paulina began a process to demonstrate that they were “hidalgos notorios” and “descendants of the House of the Duke of Albuquerque”.
On the 17th of April the process was opened and the research demonstrated that they were children of the doctor Juan de la Cueva who lived in Úbeda in the collación of Santo Domingo. He was a man considered as a hidalgo and served a regidor in Úbeda.
Their mother was Inés Castro and at this point I will make a pause. Dávila Garibi stated that she belonged to the lineage of the “Fernández de Castro”, one of the most noble families in Portugal and Spain. A bold statement but unfortunately, with no reference or proof whatsoever.
For some reason, Dávila Garibi hid her true lineage. The truth is right there in the dossier of Beltrán de la Cueva and his sisters: “Inés Castro, hija de Rodrigo Castro, quien según la parte del concejo fue CONFESO por el Tribunal de la Santa Inquisición de Córdoba”.
That means that Inés Castro was the daughter of a converso who confessed of his jewish origin before the Spanish Inquisition.
The paternal lineage of de la Cueva corresponds to what Dávila Garibi published however let me be clear: their mother did not belong to the Fernández de Castro lineage, her father was a jewish converso and that is well documented.
Unfortunately this also proves that every genealogist out there who has assumed the lineage of Inés Castro based on what Dávila Garibi wrote had no access to the dossiers in the Royal Chancellery of Granada thus they kept perpetuating a mistake.
Beltrán de la Cueva had many descendants in Nueva Galicia so I hope this new information proves useful to those trying to reconnect with their jewish ancestors.
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