Pintura of Don Martin Casillas...

Wednesday, Dec 24, 2008

Dear Group--

Many years ago when I was an active part of SHHAR in Orange, California, I was given a poster which was about Don Martin Casillas--
Architect/ Alarife of the cathedrals Puebla de Los Angeles, Mexico City and Guadalajara. Listed as his some of his descendants were the following seven SHHAR members; Tony Campos and his wife Clarisa Vega, Ramon Godinez, George Herrera, Ophelia Marquez, Mary Lou Montagna, and Lillian Wold.

There were pictures of two cathedrals and various people. In the center was a large picture of Don Martin Casillas. We were told later that the picture was actually that of Miguel de Cervantes, the writer of Don Quixote. Ha-ha-ha, what a laugh we got from that.

Here is more from the poster which was given to me by Lillian RAMOS Wold:

Don Martin CASILLAS was born in Almendralejo, Extremadura, Spain about 1556. He arrived in Puebla de Los Angeles, Nueva Espana around 1578 with the new viceroy, don Lorenzo de Suarez y Mendoza, Count of Coruna. Don Martin was commissioned to work on the construction of the cathedral in Puebla. In 1583, when Viceroy Lorenzo de Suarez y Mendoza died, don Martin Cassillas was sent to work on the Mexico City Cathedral. He took his wife Mencia Gonzalez Cabrera, daughter of Francisco Jimenez and Mencia Gonzalez Cabrera, with him to Mexico City and their two children, Maria and Martin (born respectively 1580 and 1582.) His third Child, Francisco was born in Mexico City in 1584 (an architect like his father.) After approximately two years, he was assigned to the Cathedral at Guadalajara. There were four more children born in Guadalajara; Rodrigo Bernardo, Mariana, Domingo and Ines.

Don Martin Casillas was paid in land to supplement the payment for the work he did on the Cathedral of Guadalajara. There were only two cathedrals that were larger than the one in Guadalajara and they were the one at Puebla and the one in Mexico City. He was buried in Mexico City and years later, his body was exhumed and interned in the family vault in the cathedral of Guadalajara. Years later, his wife and some of his children and grandchildren were also buried in the family vault in the cathedral of Guadalajara.

The best to each and everyone of you from the home of Ramon GODINEZ and Patricia Diane LONGHURST (AKA Patricia Burton) in San Diego, Ca.

--- On Sun, 12/21/08, actapatio2007 wrote:

> From: actapatio2007
> Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Pintura
> To: general@lists.nuestrosranchos.com
> Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 10:28 AM
> Que tal yo tengo una copia de la pintura de Martin
> Casillas...
>
> Si gustan una copia por favor mandemen un mensaje...
>
> Hello, I have a copy of the painting of Martin Casillas
> If you like one, please send me a message