Margarida Cabral de Melo

Margarida Cabral de Melo (1570–1631) was a Portuguese noble lady related to the discoverer of Brazil Pedro Álvares Cabral.[2] In 1599 she settled with her husband and children in Buenos Aires.[3] She was one of the most distinguished women in the Río de la Plata, in the early 17th century, owns of luxury homes, farms and vineyards.[4]

Margarida Luísa Cabral de Melo
Fidalga of the Royal House of Portugal.[1]
Born1570
Santa Maria Island, Azores, Kingdom of Portugal
Died1631
Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of Peru
BuriedIglesia de la Merced
Noble familyCabral-Melo Coutinho
Spouse(s)Amador Vaz de Alpoim
FatherMatias Nunes Cabral
MotherMaria Simões de Melo
Occupationlandowner

His family belonged to illustrious Portuguese lineages, including her royal ancestry through her great-great grandmother, Dona Beatriz de Meneses, 2nd Countess of Loulé. She and her husband were the ancestors of Argentine politicians and military, among them Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, President of the Argentine Republic between 1922 and 1928.[5]

Biography
Azores Islands

Margarida was born in Santa Maria Island, the daughter of Matias Nunes Cabral and Maria Simões de Melo, belonging to a noble Portuguese family.[6] She was married to Amador Vaz de Alpoim, son of Estevan de Alpoim and Isabel Velha. She and her family arrived in Buenos Aires from Rio de Janeiro, where they had lived for five years.[7]

Margarida Cabral de Melo and her sister Inês Nunes Cabral (wife of Gil Gonçalves de Moura) were the first women to have political and economic influence in the Río de la Plata. Margarida was perhaps the richest woman in Buenos Aires towards the beginning of 1600. She possessed one of the most luxurious houses in the city, with mahogany furniture, carved silverware, tapestry and among its jewelry, a gold parrot.[8]

The house of the family Cabral de Alpoim was located at the intersection of the streets Victoria and Balcarce, current neighborhood of Monserrat.[9]

Margarida and her family were linked to the beginnings of cattle raising (cimarron cattle) in the current Argentine territory. She was the owner of a ranch located in the town of Luján, which was managed by her son Manuel Cabral de Alpoim.[10]

Her husband passed away in 1617 being buried in the city. He had rendered military services to the Spanish Empire, taking part in some military expeditions led by Hernando Arias de Saavedra.[11]

She had many sons and daughters, including General Amador Báez de Alpoim, who served as mayor of Buenos Aires, lieutenant governor of Santa Fe and Corrientes,[12] and Matías Cabral de Melo y Alpoim (1593-1645) a well-known presbyter of Buenos Aires.[13]

Ancestors and descendants
Belmonte Castle, belonging to the Cabral lineage

Margarita Cabral de Melo and his sister were relatives of Pedro Álvares Cabral, discoverer of Brazil and Gonçalo Velho Cabral, discoverer of Azores.[14] His most notorious ancestors were Álvaro Martins Homem 3°Captain of Praia,[15] and João Fernandes de Andrade, possibly a descendant of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall.[16]

It is proven that his family descended by several genealogical lines of the kings of Portugal, including Afonso III[17] and John I of Portugal. Through these royal ancestors, their lineage is linked to the House of Plantagenet and Castile.[18]

She and her sister were the ancestors of various historical figures linked to the politics and culture of the Río de la Plata like Juan Manuel de Rosas, governor of the province of Buenos Aires between 1835 and 1852,[19] and Justo José de Urquiza, first President of the Argentine Confederation.[20]

Other famous descendants of this family include José Gervasio Artigas, a Uruguayan patriot who participated in the War of Independence,[21] and Carlos María de Alvear, a military and politician who served as Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in 1815.[22]

His sister Inés Núñez Cabral and Gil Gonçalves de Moura were the ancestors of the writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges.[23]

References
  1. Studies in Genealogy and Family History in Tribute to Charles Evans on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, Charles F. H. Evans, 1989
  2. The Genealogist, Volumes 3-4. The Association, 1982. 1982.
  3. Los portugueses en Buenos Aires (siglo XVII), Tipografía de Archivos, 1931, 1931
  4. Patricios correntinos: biografías, Volumen 1, Miguel Fernando González Azcoaga, 2002, ISBN 9789871035229
  5. Historia genealógica argentina, Narciso Binayán, 1999, ISBN 9789500420587
  6. Revista patriótica del pasado argentino, Volumen 1, Impr. Europea, 1888, 1888
  7. Historiografía rioplatense, Volumen 6, Instituto Bibliográfico Antonio Zinny., 2002, 2002
  8. Boletín de la Academia Nacional de la Historia. Academia Nacional de la Historia (Argentina). 1970.
  9. El primer banquero de Buenos Aires, Talleres Gráficos D'Accurzio, 1958, 1961
  10. Historiografía rioplatense, Volume 6, Instituto Bibliográfico Antonio Zinny, 2002
  11. Boletín de la Academia Nacional de la Historia, Volumes 42-43, Academia Nacional de la Historia, 1970
  12. Actas capitulares de Corrientes: 1647 a 1658, Corrientes (Argentina). Cabildo, Hernán Félix Gómez, 1941
  13. Revista del Instituto de Estudios Genealógicos del Uruguay, Números 7-11, El Instituto, 1988, 1988
  14. Revista del Centro de Estudios Genealógicos de Buenos Aires Issue 1. Centro de Estudios Genealógicos de Buenos Aires. 1979.
  15. Historia Genealógica Argentina, Emecé, 01/01/1999, 1999, ISBN 9789500420587
  16. Arquivos da Universidade de Lisboa, Volume 4. A Universidade, 1917. 1917.
  17. Actas, Volumen 2, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Centro Universitario, 1992, 1992
  18. Actas, Volumen2. Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo Centro Universitario, 1992. 1992.
  19. Congreso Internacional de Historia de América: actas / Academia Nacional de la Historia, Part 6. La Academia, 1966. 1966.
  20. Historia Genealógica Argentina. Narciso Binayán. 1999. ISBN 9789500420587.
  21. Revista do Instituto Historico e Geografico do Rio Grande do Sul, Issues 124-127, Instituto Histórico e Geográfico do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 1986
  22. Genealogía, hombres de mayo. Instituto Argentino de Ciencias Genealógicas. 1961.
  23. Oeuvres complètes, Volume 1, by Jorge Luis Borges, Jean-Pierre Bernès, 1993
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