From the Files of: Jovanka Solorzano

By cross-referencing our family records with information on the web about Juan Rodriguez Carrillo (who explored the California coast) and his family, I was able to determine that:

We are descendants of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his wife Beatriz de Ortega. They had two sons, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo de Medrano (our ancestor) and their second son was named Diego.  Cabrillo de Medrano's son, Geronimo Cabrillo Aldana, married Francisca de Solorzano y Carbajal (also a grandchild of Beatriz de Ortega from her second marriage to Juan de Aguilar y Beltan.).  They had a son Esteban de Medrano y Solorzano (the Solorzano last name was better known that the Cabrillo last name so I suspect Estaban decided to take the most illustrious last name and, following the customs of the time or maybe because the family had no male heir to carry the Solorzano name)   

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (the explorer) established himself during the conquest of Mexico and later in Guatemala.  He was close to Pedro de Alvarado.  In 1525 he became the first mayor of the first city founded in Guatemala by the Spaniards - Santiago de los Caballeros.  In return he was granted extensive properties including encomiendas.

Cabrillo came to California in an exploration trip (1542) trying to find a route a Northeast passage.  Cabrillo led the expedition and he was the first European to touch the California Coast.  Unfortunately Cabrillo suffered a fall and died of gangrene during that trip (January 3, 1543).  He is buried in one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo had traveled to Spain in 1532?? To marry Beatriz de Ortega, daughter of the merchants who apparently had looked after Cabrillo when he was young.  Also, Beatriz' brother, Diego, was a fellow explorer and close friend of Cabrillo.  Cabrillo and Beatriz had two sons, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo de Medrano (our ancestor) and their second son was named Diego. 

After the death of Cabrillo, his widow Beatriz de Ortega started a suit to have access to the extensive land grants that belonged to Cabrillo.  At that time Cabrillo's two children were young boys.  This suit lasted several generations and is well documented.  Cabrillo's oldest son Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo de Medrano (our ancestor) followed the suit without much success and was eventually barred from continuing by ordered "perpetual silence" about this issue.  But that mandate did not apply to the next generation. Later his son, Geronimo Cabrillo de Aldaña, continued trying to recuperate the land grant.  He was somehow successful and recuperated part of the grants.  The following three generations were able to live off those grants or encomiendas.

Cabrillo de Medrano's son, Geronimo Cabrillo Aldana, married Francisca de Solorzano y Carbajal (also a grandchild of Beatriz de Ortega from her second marriage to Juan de Aguilar y Beltan.).  They had a son Esteban de Medrano y Solorzano (the Solorzano last name was better known than the Cabrillo last name so I suspect Estaban decided to take the most illustrious last name and, following the customs of the time or maybe because the family had no male heir to carry the Solorzano name)   

Apparently three generations after the original Cabrillo (in the late 1600's) descendants moved from Guatemala to Nicaragua.  According to family history, the family was given some land grants by the king of Spain on what it was to become the capital of Nicaragua, Managua.  The family continued prospering eventually producing two presidents and many leaders and professionals.  The Solorzanos are considered a founding family in Managua and still well known and respected.  For more information review link to Revista Conservadora and History of  Managua by Gratus Halfmeyer (both in Spanish).

Since at least the 1800's some family members have immigrated to the US including California.  Also many of the engineers and other professionals came to the US for his university studies such as my great-grandfather, Arturo Solorzano, who studied engineering a Leigh University in PA.  Carlos Solorzano former president of Nicargua (cousin of Arturo) left Nicargua after a military coup in 1926 and moved to California.

Family history summary and family tree created by:

Jovanka Solorzano (click the image to view larger ~420 KB).

Jovanka Solorzano - Daughter of Tulio Solorzano and Mirna Gonzalez de Solorzano

References used:

Email from Roberto Solorzano detailing history of Solorzano family in Guatemala

Tengo la ascendencia de Don Francisco Solórzano e Hinestrosa

Websites with information about Juan R. Cabrillo (explorer of California):

History of San Diego by Richard Pourade - Chapter 4

http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/cabrillo/cabrillo.htm

History of San Diego by Richard Pourade - Chapter 3

http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/73summer/cabrillo.htm

http://libwww.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/html/depts/cabrillo.html

Books:

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo by Harry Kelsey. Published in 1986 by the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Historia de Managua by Gratus Halftermeyer:  http://www.geocities.com/solorzanos/mga.html (excerpt about the Solorzano family in Nicaragua during 1700-1800's)

Periodicals:

Revista Conservadora de Nic. Jan 1970:  http://www.geocities.com/solorzanos/r1.html  (excerpt about the Zavala-Solorzano family history)

Diario La Nacion Costa Rica - History of the Montealegre-Solorzano family history: http://www.nacion.co.cr/ln_ee/ESPECIALES/raices/raices13.html