Cortés was first married, as we well know, in Cuba, to Catalina Juarez, a native of Granada, in Andalusia, whose death occurred in October 1522, It is supposed that by her he had a child, but nothing definite can be ascertained on the subject. A natural daughter by a Cuban Indian is also mentioned at that time. The issue of his second marriage, with Doña Juana de Zúñiga, was one son, Martin, and three daughters: Maria, married to Luis Vigil de Quiñones, conde de Luna; Catalina, who died single at Seville, and Juana married to Hernando Enriquez de Rivera, duke of Alcalá, and marqués de Tarifa. Beside these there were several natural children: Martin Cortés, son of the devoted Marina; Catalina Pizarro, daughter of Leonor Pizarro; Luis, son of Antonia Hermosilla;[1] Leonor and Maria, daughters of noble Indian women; Leonor was married to Juan de Tolosa, one of the founders of Zacatecas; and finally another son Luis, who died before his father.
With Pedro Cortés, the fourth marqués del Valle and great grandson of the conqueror, the direct line became extinct. The estates and title passed to his niece, Doña Estefania, married to Diego de Aragon, duke of Terranova, descendant of one of the most distinguished families of Sicily. This union remaining without male issue, by the marriage of their daughter Juana with Hector, duke of Monteleone, the line became united with the Piñatelli family, Neapolitan nobles of the first rank. Thus the descendants and present representatives of the great adventurer's family are the dukes of Terranova y Monteleone, in Sicily, one of the proudest families of Italy.[2]
- ↑ Martin, Luis, and Catalina were legitimized by papal bull of April 16, 1529, which is given in Alaman, Disert., ii. 2d app. 32-6. The former were made knights of Santiago and Calatrava, respectively.
- ↑ The statement in Prescott, iii. 351, that by the marriage of a female into the house of Terranova, the Cortés family was united with the descendants of the 'gran capitan' Gonzalo de Córdoba, is erroneous. The house of Ter-
Monteleone, Esposicion, 23-31, 60-62. More particulars concerning the estate may be found in Pacheco and Cárdenas, Col. Doc., xii. 330-8; Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin, ii. 19; Humholdt, Essai Pol., i. 126; Villa Señor, Theatro, i. 269-70; ii. 118-23; Doc. Hist. Mex., série i. tom. i. 4, 415, 461.
