Alberto del Canto

Alberto del Canto (1547-1611) was a Portuguese soldier and explorer. He was born Alberto do Canto, on Terceira Island, Azores. During the colonisation of America, Canto explored the northeastern zone of Mexico, and founded several cities, such as Saltillo, of which he was the first mayor (1575), and Monterrey. He changed his name to the Castilian form, "del Canto" while serving under Spanish rule in New Spain.

He was one of the main enemies of the native Chichimeca peoples. He took numerous prisoners to work as slaves in the mines of Santa Lucia, Monterrey, and San Gregorio, Cerralvo. This resulted in his arrest by the Inquisition for slavery. He escaped and was able to live among the Chichimecas that he was charged with enslaving, until the charges were dropped.

Del Canto had been a lover of the wife of Diego de Montemayor, founder of Monterrey. Montemayor killed his wife with his sword upon learning of the affair, and vowed to kill del Canto. In 1585, del Canto married Estefania, the daughter of his arch rival, Diego de Montemayor, and had three children, Diego, Miguel and Elvira. In 1596 Estefania and Del Canto separated. Estefania moved to Monterrey with her father, and her children took the last name of Montemayor. Del Canto died at his Hacienda de Buena Vista, Saltillo Coahuila, Mexico.

External links

* [http://www.vsalgs.org/stnemgenealogy/acanto.html Sample Lineages: Capt. Alberto Del Canto]