On March 9, 1731, fifty-six individuals from the Canary Islands comprising sixteen families arrived in what is now San Antonio, later establishing the first civil government in Texas. This is a dual geographical YDNA and mtDNA project and is open to all individuals, male or female, who are descendants of those original settlers, commonly referred to as "Los Isleños."

If you are not in a direct line of descent either paternally or maternally but still descend from one of these families, you will be placed in a "non-direct line of descent" group for the family you descend from.

Canary Islanders Who Came to Texas

Arriving in San Antonio on March 9, 1731

1.       Juan LEAL GORAZ – He was the son of Antonio Goraz and María Pérez. His first wife, Lucía Hernández, died during the journey in Cuautitlán, México on 15 October 1730. He later married María Melián, head of the fifteenth family and widow of Lucas Delgado who also died during the journey in Veracruz, México on 5 July 1730. The surname Goraz was later dropped from usage and only Leal was used by the family. As a side note, there is a common food fish called goraz found in the waters of the Canaries and may have indicated an occupation of fisherman for persons carrying the surname.

2.       Vicente LEAL – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Leal Goraz and Lucía Hernández above.

3.       Bernardo LEAL – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Leal Goraz and Lucía Hernández above. He married Leonor Delgado from the fifteenth family.

4.       Juan CURBELO – He was a native of Lanzarote and married Gracia Perdomo y Umpiérrez listed below.

5.       Gracia PERDOMO Y UMPIÉRREZ - She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Marcos Umpiérrez and María Cabrera. Note: Perdomo may be a Spanish variation of Preudhomme and Umpiérrez a variation of Dumpierre.

6.       Joseph CURBELO – He was a native of Lanzarote and married Rafaela de la Garza.

7.       Juan Francisco CURBELO - He was a native of Palma.

8.       María CURBELO – She was a native of Lanzarote and married first, Joseph Bueno de Rojas, also from Lanzarote but not a member of the original sixteen families. She married second, Cristóbal de los Santos Coy, a pioneer schoolmaster. She was the last survivor of the original Canary Island settlers having died on 16 December 1803 and was popularly known as “Tia Canaria.”

9.       Juan LEAL (“el mozo” or Junior) – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Leal Goraz and his first wife Lucía Hernández. He was also known as Juan Leal Álvarez in the 1743 partition of his father’s estate. He married María Gracia de Acosta listed below.

10.   María Gracia de ACOSTA – She was a native of Tenerife and the daughter of Pedro González Cabezas and Francisca de Acosta.

11.   Manuel LEAL – He was a native of Lanzarote and married first Josefa Galván and second Manuela Banul.

12.   Miguel LEAL – He was a native of Fuerteventura and married first Juana María de la Garza and second Magdalena González.

13.   Domingo LEAL – He was a native of Palma and married Polinaria de Herrera.

14.   Pedro LEAL – He was born in Havana, Cuba during the journey.

15.   María LEAL – She was a native of Fuerteventura and married Martín Flores y Valdez.

16.   Antonio SANTOS – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Simón Santos and Ana Rodríguez. He married Isabel Rodríguez listed below.

17.   Isabel RODRÍGUEZ – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Domingo Vega and Leonor Rodríguez. Her sister was María Rodriguez de Vega who died 20 October 1730 in Cuautitlán, México and the wife of Juan Pedro Cabrera who died as the caravan passed through an Indian village near Orizaba, México on the journey between Veracruz and Cuautitlán, México in August 1730. They were the parents of those listed in the thirteenth family.

18.   Miguel SANTOS – He was a native of Lanzarote and married Juana María Francisca Galván.

19.   Catarina SANTOS – She was a native of Lanzarote and married Francisco Delgado a member of the fifteenth family.

20.   María SANTOS – She was a native of Palma and married José Francisco Pérez.

21.   Josefa SANTOS – She was a native of Lanzarote and married Juan Toribio Galván, brother of Juana María Francisca Galván mentioned above.

22.   José de la Concepción PADRÓN – He was a native of Palma and was married to María Francisca Sanabria below.

23.   María Francisca SANABRIA – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Luis Sanabria and Francisca Lagarda. Her daughter, María Rosa, was the first person of Canary Islander descent to be baptized in San Antonio.

24.   Manuel de NIZ – He was a native of Gran Canaria and the son of Juan de Niz and Andrea Mireles. The family name is sometimes given as Nistrosa. He married Sebastiana de la Peña de León below. Their daughter Josefa de Niz was in the tenth family.

25.   Sebastiana de la PEÑA DE LEÓN – She was the daughter of Domingo de León and Gregoria Suárez de la Peña.

26.   Vicente ÁLVAREZ TRAVIESO – He was a native of Tenerife and the son of Juan Álvarez Travieso and Catarina Cayetano. He married in Cuautitlán, México during the journey to María Ana Curbelo below.

27.   María Ana CURBELO – She was the daughter of Juan Curbelo and Gracia Perdomo y Umpiérrez listed in the second family.

28.   Salvador RODRÍGUEZ – He was possibly born in Tenerife but a native of Lanzarote and was the son of Francisco Rodríguez and Isabel de los Reyes.

29.   María PÉREZ CABRERA – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Domingo Cabrera and María Pérez. She married Salvador Rodríguez above.

30.   Patricio Antonio RODRÍGUEZ – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Salvador Rodríguez and María Pérez Cabrera above. He married Josefa Rodríguez Granado listed in the fourteenth family and was killed by Apaches in 1748.

31.   Francisco Joseph de AROCHA – He was a native of Palma and the son of Simón de Arocha and Angela Francisca.

32.   Juana CURBELO – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Curbelo and Gracia Perdomo y Umpiérrez of the second family. She married Francisco Joseph de Arocha in September 1730 while in Cuautitlán, México.

33.   Antonio RODRÍGUEZ – He was a native of Gran Canaria and the son of Juan Rodríguez and María del Carmen. He married Josefa de Niz below.

34.   Josefa de NIZ – She was a native of Gran Canaria and the daughter of Manuel de Niz and Sebastiana de la Peña de León of the sixth family.

35.   Joseph LEAL – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Leal Goraz and his first wife Lucía Hernández. He married Ana Santos below.

36.   Ana SANTOS – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Antonio Santos and Isabel Rodríguez of the fourth family.

37.   Juan DELGADO – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Lucas (or Luis) Delgado and María Melián, head of the fifteenth family. Lucas Delgado died in Veracruz, México on 5 July 1730 during an epidemic of “vómito” or tropical fever. María Melián later remarried the widower Juan Leal Goraz of the first family.

38.   Catarina LEAL – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Leal Goraz and Lucía Hernández of the first family. She married Juan Delgado above on 23 September 1730 in Cuautitlán, México during the voyage.

39.   Joseph CABRERA – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Pedro Cabrera and María Rodríguez de Vega, both of whom died in 1730 during the journey.

40.   Marcos de CABRERA – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Pedro Cabrera and María Rodríguez de Vega mentioned above. He later married twice and was killed by Apaches in 1769.

41.   Ana CABRERA – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Pedro Cabrera and María Rodríguez de Vega mentioned above. She married Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas from the sixteenth family.

42.   María ROBAINA DE BETHENCOURT – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Manuel de Bethencourt and Paula Umpiérrez. She was said to descend from the French explorer and conqueror of the Canary Islands, Jean de Bethencourt, however he may have died without issue. He also had a nephew Maciot de Bethencourt who governed the islands having offspring. Natives of the Canaries were often baptized with this surname. Her first husband was Juan Rodríguez Granado who died in Veracruz, México on 5 May 1730 during an epidemic of “vómito” or tropical fever. Their children used Granado as their surname. She next married Martín Lorenzo de Armas, from the sixteenth family.

43.   Pedro RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO – He was likely born in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and was the son of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above.

44.   Manuel Francisco RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above.

45.   Josefa   RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO - She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above. She married Patricio Antonio Rodríguez from the eighth family.

46.   Paula RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above. She married Joseph Antonio Pérez from the sixteenth family.

47.   María RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO - She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above.

48.   Juan de ACUÑA (RODRÍGUEZ GRANADO) – He was born in Cuautitlán, México on 15 September 1730 during the journey and was the son of Juan Rodríguez Granado and María Robaina de Bethencourt mentioned above. His father did not live to witness his birth and he was named in honor of the viceroy of New Spain, Juan de Acuña,  Marqués de Casafuerte. He was later called Juan Francisco.

49.   María MELIÁN – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Francisco Melián and Inés de Hoyos. She was the widow of Lucas Delgado who died in Veracruz, México on 5 July 1730 during the journey. She later married Juan Leal Goraz from the first family. Note: the surname Melián is possibly a derivation of the name Saint-Emilianne.

50.   Francisco DELGADO – He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Lucas Delgado and María Melián mentioned above. He married Catarina Santos from the fourth family.

51.   Domingo DELGADO - He was a native of Lanzarote and the son of Lucas Delgado and María Melián mentioned above.

52.   Leonor DELGADO – She was a native of Lanzarote and the daughter of Lucas Delgado and María Melián mentioned above. She married Bernardo Leal from the first family.

(this “family” was composed of four single men)

53.   Felipe PÉREZ – He was born in Tenerife and the son of Domingo Pérez and María Granado. He was the brother of Joseph Antonio Pérez below and does not appear to have married.

54.   Joseph Antonio PÉREZ – He was a native of Tenerife and the son of Domingo Pérez and María Granado. He married first Paula Rodríguez Granado from the fourteenth family above and Gertrudes de la Cerda second. Some of the Pérez descendants began using the surname Pérez Casanova after the arrival in Texas. Many of them dropped Pérez and used Casanova only.

55.   Martín LORENZO DE ARMAS – He was born in Gomera and the son of Roque Lorenzo de Armas and Teresa de Áviles. He was brother to Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas below. He married the widow María Robaina de Bethencourt from the fourteenth family above.

56.   Ignacio LORENZO DE ARMAS – He was born in Gomera and the son of Roque Lorenzo de Armas and Teresa de Áviles. He was brother to Martín Lorenzo de Armas above. He married Ana Cabrera from the thirteenth family.