Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1998

La Historia de su apellido

   Benavides
   The surname Benavides, or Benavidez, came into being apparently from the son of King Alfonso VII of Castille, whose son Fernando Alfonso (or Juan Alonso) de Benavides received from his father the village of Benavides as an inheritance. He married Teresa Lorenzana and their son Pedro Fernandez de Benavides, or Pedro Alonso de Benavides, became the 2nd Lord of Benavides and his son Suer Perez de Benavides, who lived in 1236, was the 3rd Lord of the village, and so forth.
   Family histories have been identified for the Benavides in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, California, and New Mexico. In the U.S., Benavides is the 159th most popular surname among modern Hispanic families. Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are represented with the greatest percentages of the total Hispanic population, contributing over 75 percent. Consequently, most Benavides families in this country would come from one of these countries in their ancestry.
   In Texas, Placido Benavides, who arrived at Victoria with his older brothers as part of the De Leon Colony, married Agusta Carvajal and has left many descendants in southwest Texas. He died at Apelouses, Louisiana in 1837. Santos Benavides was born and reared in Laredo. He was a superb horseman. He served as Captain in the U.S. Confederate Army, but later served as a brigadier general. Santos Benavides also served as a Texas Ranger and his Company of Rangers were very successful in keeping order in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. He also served as mayor of Laredo. He was the grandson of the Honorable Thomas Sanchez, founder of the City of Laredo.
   Coat of arms: On a gold field, a rampant lion, in red, striped with three gold-colored bars.
   

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