The Mendez Family This web page is a work in progress. Please send any additions, corrections, or additional information to me at: mike@mikemendez.org
The origin of the Mendez family can be traced back to the Visigoth people, who were a Germanic tribe that eventually settled in what is now Spain. As far as I can ascertain, the Mendez line started in the principality of Asturias, in the far North-Western part of Spain. The Visigoths were one of the two major branches of the Goths, the other being the Ostrogoths. The origin of the Goths is disputed, but the ancient Roman maps show them located, along with the other Germanic tribes, on the Russian Steppes. This vast "sea of grass" is most probably where they formed into a coherent and distinct tribe.
Spain was the very first Empire with global reach. In the 1500s and 1600s, Spain had colonies all over the globe, from the Philippine Islands in the Pacific ocean, to the "New World" in the Western Hemisphere. The Mendez family was very involved in the exploration and colonization of these new lands.
Our branch of the family settled on the Western side of Puerto Rico very early in the colonization of this island by the Spaniards. So far, we have not been able to determine exactly who and when was the Patriarch of our line. The best efforts of family members have determined that there were at least four different Mendez families that immigrated to Puerto Rico. Hurricanes, Fires, and disasters have destroyed records which might have given us solid answers. I can go back by name for the previous five generations. If you are a member of this branch of our family and are not listed in the family tree, please contact me so that we can include you.
A complete story of the history of the Mendez family can be found here: http://www.mikemendez.org/family.htm
A flow chart of family members can be found here: http://www.mikemendez.org/tree.html
Very soon, a contact page will be established here. If you would like your contact information listed, please let me know. I will not list your contact information without specific authorization from you, so if you prefer not to be listed for the entire world to see, I will keep it off of the web page.
This site is the compilation of the work of many family members, and not just myself. Many thanks to all of you for helping to make this site happen.
This plate hung on the wall of Americo Jr. Mendez Mendez. I remember when I was a very small boy, my father took us to visit Americo and his family in Fairfax, Virginia. Thank you very much to George Mendez and Ileana Mendez for providing this picture, and the information that Americo gathered on our family. Click on the picture to see a larger version of it.
There is some intriguing information contained on this plate. First, let me state that Americo Jr. Mendez Mendez researched extensively our branch of the Mendez family. Unfortunately, some of that information was not passed down, but may yet resurface. In my research, I have run across several "coats of arms" which are said to be that of the Mendez families. Some of these claimed that they were from different parts of Spain, and or the true Mendez lineage and the Sephardic Mendez families. The Sephardim were the Jews who lived in Spain and adopted Spanish surnames in order to remain in Spain after they were all evicted by the Decree of Alhambra (1492). This was a very dark period of time, when the infamous Spanish Inquisition was purging the Kingdom of those who did not swear loyalty to the Roman Catholic Pope. This was the political payback of the support lent from Rome in the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula, the expulsion of the Muslim Emirate (The Moors). This was truly the dark ages, when the light of Christ was hidden by a repressive regime of superstitious people. But not to dwell on darkness. This plate of Americo's has two things which I have not found repeated anywhere to date. First, there are Crowns above the fleur-de-lis. Secondly, there are references to another Germanic tribe, the Suevi. In the banner above the coat of arms, Godo on the left side is for Goths (Visigoths), and Suevo on the right side is for Suevi, who were another Germanic people who settled in Spain -- namely in Galicia. The Suevi were wiped out by the Visigoths, but lived side by side with them for years before they fought. The text states that Doña Ermesinda Arias was a descendant of the Suevi (or Suevic) king Arios Miro. Here are a couple of references to the Suevi people: http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/regents/iberian/suevi.htm and http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.Miro.html I can only speculate that the crowns were added to the coat of arms to show intermarriage of this other royal line.
This is a translation (mine) of the writing under the Coat of Arms.
This
is the lineage of the Noble house of Celanova, in progenitor
was the Gothic King Egica. Count Hermenegildo Méndez married
Ermesinda Arias, Lady of the village of Port Marín who was a
descendant of the Suebic King of Galicia, Miro. Descended from these two,
were many illustrious Noblemen, from Asturias to Cordoba (this illustrates
that they were from the Northern most kingdom all the way to the
Southern most kingdom), and later the Antilles (Western Hemisphere) including
the Marquis of Montero, the Marquis of Cambria, and the Dukes
of Rivas. The Coat of Arms is quartered; the 1st and 4th
quarters are
red, with a tower of gold, upon which a lion in his full color leans. The
2nd and 3rd quarters are gold, with a blue
fleur-de-lis
crowned in silver. It
is topped with a metal helmet which holds a banner displaying the words
Godo
(Goth) and Suevo (Suebi). Also, the entire Crest is wrapped in a flourish
of Silver and Green.
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La Familia Mendez Escríbame por favor si usted
tiene adiciones o correcciones en: mike@mikemendez.org El origen de la familia
Mendez se remonta a la epoca de los visigodos Espana fue el primer imperio
con alcance mundial. En los anos 1500 y
Nuestra rama de la familia
Mendez se establecio al oeste de Puerto Rico muy temprano en la
colonizacion de dicha isla por los espanoles. Hasta el momento no
se ha podido determinar cuando o quien fue el patriarca de nuestra
linea. Con gran esfuerzo miembros de nuestra familia han
determinado que hubieron
Un completo relato de la
historia de la familia Mendez puede
Una carta al corriente
de la familia puede ser encontrada en
Muy pronto una pagina de
contacto sera establecida aqui. Si usted desea aparecer en
ella, favor dejarmelo saber. No lo pondre en la lista sin su
autorizacion especifica, asi que si usted prefiere no estar en la
lista para que el
Este "site ha sido una compilacion que existe por el arduo trabajo de muchos miembros de la familia, no solo mio. Muchas gracias a todos por ayudarnos a que este "site" haya sido posible. Este retrato es el escudo de los Mendez.
Este escudo estuvo colgado en casa de Americo Mendez Mendez hijo.
deseo hacerles saber que Americo investigo extensamente nuestra rama de
la familia Mendez. Desgraciadamente parte de esta investigacion no
llego a nosotros pero es posible que resurja. En mi investigacion he
visto varios escudos que supuestamente son de familias Mendez. Algunos
alegan que son de diferentes partes de Espana y pertenecen realmente al
verdadero linaje de los Mendez asi como de las familias sefarditas
Mendez. Los sefarditas fueron los judios espanoles que adoptaron
apellidos espanoles para de este modo poder permanecer en Espana despues
de que fueron expulsados de acuerdo con la ley de Alhambra (1492). Esta
fue una epoca oscura cuando la terrible inquisicion espanola purgo del
reino a todos los que no juraban lealtad al sumo pontifice de la iglesia
Catolica Romana. Esto fue considerado como cobro por el apoyo que presto
Roma en la reconquista de la peninsula iberica despues de la expulsion
del emirato musulman, (los moros). Esta fue una verdadera epoca oscura
cuando la luz de Cristo estuvo escondida tras un regimen represivo de
gente supersticiosa. Pero basta de oscuridades. Esta placa de Americo
tiene dos cosas que hasta el presente no he podido descifrar. Primero,
hay coronas sobre la flor de lis. Segundo, hay referencia
sobre otra tribu germanica, los Suevos. La bandera sobre el escudo godo
a la izquierda representa a los godos (visigodos) y a la derecha
representa a los suevos que eran tambien germanicos que llegaron a
Espana y se establecieron en la zona de Galicia. Los visigodos
exterminaron a los suevos pero por muchos anos y por supuesto, previo a
las guerras vivieron contiguamente. El texto indica que Dona
Hercueriudo Arias era descendiente del rey Arios Miro. Aqui hay algunas
referencias sobre el pueblo Suevo:
http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/regents/iberian/suevi.htm y
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.Miro.html Yo solo puedo especular
que las coronas fueron anadidas al escudo para indicar que se mezclaron
(casandose) con esta otra linea real. Procede este linaje de la Real casa de Celanova, en Galicia, y según
algunos autores, se reconoce por tronco al Rey godo Egica.
El Conde Hermenegildo Méndez casó con Dña. Ermesinda Arias,
Señora de la villa de Puerto Marín, que hoy pertenece al partido judicial
de Chantada (Lugo), que era de la casa y familia de los Arias de Sirgal,
descendientes del Rey suevo de Galicia Arias Miró. De ese enlace
nacieron: 1º.- Gutierre Arias Méndez, que sigue2º.- Gonzalo Méndez,
que entre otros hijos, tuvo a Dña. Elvira Méndez, que fue primera mujer
del Rey Ordoño II. 3º.- Arias Méndez, Conde de Miño y padre de Dña.
Godo, que también casó ilustremente, y 4º.- Nepociano Méndez,
Presidente del Consejo del Rey Ramiro II.
Gutierre Méndez Arias se nombró Conde de Celanova y heredó de su padre todos los oficios y dignidades. Sirvió a los Reyes de su tiempo y alcanzó grandes victorias contra los moros. De este Conde y de sus descendientes otros caballeros fundaron nuevas casas solariegas en Galicia, Montañas de Burgos, Asturias, León, Álava, Navarra, ambas Castillas y Andalucía. |
This is a recent picture (4/11/2005) of my father: Allan Vincent Mendez Sotomayor, with all of his sons, and one of his grandsons, on the occasion of his 74th birthday.
From left to right: Ed Mendez Rosario, Art Mendez Rosario, Allan Mendez Sotomayor, Lawrence Mendez Rosario, Mike Mendez Rosario. In the foreground is Mike's son: Randall Mendez Todd.