Aguayo Genealogy

~ ~ ~Here is the family tree that we've put together so far. We would appreciate any input in this area that you could provide. We would like to include as many names and photos as possible. We have gathered new historical information on other family names, take a look at the Armenta, Burboa, Chaparro, Hall, Hernandez and Zavala genealogy background pages as well.

~ ~ ~Aguayo is the 4,706th most popular last name (surname) in the United States; frequency is 0.003%; percentile is 62.514 (SourceCBN). Click to view some information on genealogy in Spanish.

~ ~ ~The very first record of the family name AGUAYO was found in Basque, Spain. The AGUAYO family traces their ancestral roots back to Spanish origin before the year 1100. From here they branched and migrated, gaining prosperity as a notable family of Spain and later other countries. Here is the Aguayo coat of arms.

~ ~ ~Another description of the coat of arms is: silver background with three fess' in the bottom half. The fess' are blue and the lines of the fess' are wavy. There is a black lion in passant above the fess'.

~ ~ ~The Basque region has a distinguished heritage of a unique culture and language. The Basques were a pre-Roman people based along the north coast of Spain, next to the western Pyrenees. There are theories that link the Basques with Irish Celts, eastern European tribes or even North African Moors, but none have been proven. The Basques were the last of the tribes of Spain to accept Roman culture, laws and language. They were not affected by the civilation of either the Visigoths or the Franks, who had settled north of the Pyrenees. Even after the Arab invasion of 711 A.D., the Basques remained distinct. By the end of the Middle Ages, the Basque region was politically dependent on Castile, and remains so today. The Bawque language has never been lost and it is the symbol of this ancient culture that has managed to survive so many centuries aof contact and assimilation with other cultures.

~ ~ ~The conquistadores of New Spain such as Cortes, Pizarro and Balboa led members of the Aguayo family in search of wealth and adventure. They were some of the early migrants to the New World and settled in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.

~ ~ ~The first Aguayos in the new world were brothers named Lor and Antonio. Their father was Martin de Aguayo and their mother was Catalina de Ledesma. They were from Portillo Valladolid, Spain. Aguayo is an area of Santander. Lor took part in the conquest under Cortes and died doing so. Antonio de Aguayo, born in Valladolid, Spain, served with the conquistador Nuño de Guzman. The expedition set out for Nueva Galicia (parts of Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Jalisco and Zacatecas) in 1530. Many of these men became wealthy land owners and settled in the area.

~ ~ ~In December 1719 the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, was appointed governor and Captain-General of the provinces of Coahuila y Tejas. At that time there was only one mission and presidio left in Texas in San Antonio as a result of the war between Spain and France. The Aguayo Expedition departed from Monclova on 15 Nov 1720 and returned on 31 May 1722. The expedition is known as the largest and most effective mission into Texas and is credited with securing Texas for Spain. In 1721 the Marquis de Aguayo, a a wealthy Coahuilan Spanish general, was sent with the strongest military force that had ever entered Texas to re-establish the presidios of Texas and the abandoned missions. He established a new presidio in the Adai tribe beside the Mission of San Miguel. This new presidio was located where the present town of Robeline, Louisiana, now stands. In San Antonio, Texas, Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo--Known as the "Queen of Missions," is both a State and National Historic Site. Founded 1720; church built between 1768-82. The site for the Spanish Goveror's palace was chosen by the Marqués as well.

.......

~ ~ ~Don't forget to sign our guest book and leave your mark that you have been here.

~ ~ ~Please feel free to contact us with any photos or history you might like to add to these pages.