Monday, Dec. 14, 1998

La Historia de su apellido

   Pena
   The surname Pena is an ancient Castillian name originating from an ancient family from the Valle de Mena, in the province of Burgos. It is derived from the Iberian word "pena," "roca," "penasco" meaning crag, rock, or rocky outcrop. It proved nobility in the Orders of Santiago (1626, 1629, 1651, 1657), Calatrava (1665, 1687, 1688, 1700, 1785), Alcantara (1790 and 1838); numerous times in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, and in the Royal Council of Oviedo (1788 and 1795) and in the Royal Company of the Marine Guard in 1767.
   One of the first with the surname Pena to arrive in the Americas was Rodrigo de la Pena, one of the first conquerors from Miranda, Spain. He arrived in the Indies in 1516, and joined Cortes three years later. After the capture of Tenochtitlan, he was assigned the encomienda of Ucila.
   Juan de la Pena, settler from Granada arrived in Mexico City in 1524 to assume the position of assistant factor of the treasury and later mayor of the mines at Taxco, where he was also engaged in mining. He was a vecino of Mexico City and, after he brought his wife and two children from Spain in 1542, had his casa poblada, arms and horses there.
   Other mentions of Pena include Captain Juan Esteban de la Pena, originally from Saltillo. Another Pena family that appear in the early records in Nuevo Leon are Francisco Pena and Josefa Cantu.
   Coat of Arms: The Pena coat of arms is represented by a blue shield on which a hand is gripping a silver stake. Overall, the coat of arms appears like a big hand in the sky yielding a silver colored club ready to strike.
   Compiled by Myra Smithwick, president of the Spanish American Genealogical Association. She can be reached through e-mail at sagacorpus@aol.com
   

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