New life together in the dynamic old city of Cádiz
María Ignacia Valiente y Mariscal was not from Cádiz. She was born in Mexico City, part of colonial Spain, in 1772.
And Cecilio de Zaldo y Huerta was also a forastero, or stranger, in Cádiz. He was from today’s La Rioja region in northern Spain, born in the small village of Valgañon in 1758.
Yet on their wedding day they stood together in the ancient port city of Cádiz, side-by-side, before the altar of the church of San Lorenzo. María Ignacia was only 16 years old, and Cecilio was 30.
What, then, had led them to Cádiz and to be joined in marriage in 1788?
I have theories, but I’m still missing some facts.
So many situations could have influenced their journeys to this new place.
What is certain is that in 1788 Cádiz was still the center of trade and culture between Spain, its rich colonies of the Americas, and the major powers of Europe.
Perhaps they had come to Cádiz because the city represented opportunity. It also offered, at that time, the most international experience anywhere in Spain.
Some promise of good fortune had drawn these two people – my 3rd great-grandparents – to this vibrant and enchanting city.
What had brought Cecilio and María Ignacia to Cádiz?
Before Cádiz, Cecilio seems to have lived a few years in Madrid, and it was probably business and the connections he had made in the capital that led him to Spain’s primary port in Andalusia.
In 1784, while in Madrid, Cecilio had received his Hidalgo status (a Spanish form of lower nobility, without a title). And by the time he got married at age 30, he already had some solid life experience.
María Ignacia, by contrast, was only age 16 when she began her life together with Cecilio. She probably traveled across the Atlantic Ocean from Mexico to Cádiz with her parents, or perhaps with another family member.
Whichever their paths, the couple would experience life together in Cádiz during years that were both exciting and enormously historic – from 1788 to about 1840.
Their years in Cádiz would be fulfilling and very active in historic events
It seems to me that María Ignacia and Cecilio shared a mostly happy and active life together in Cádiz.
One reason was because they both came from fairly wealthy families of good social standing. (María Ignacia also received her Hidalgo status.)
But I also believe the couple lived a “good life” because they both — María Ignacia as much as Cecilio — were involved in organizations and social causes that they felt were important.
These activities, in addition to those efforts that are always part of raising children, must have given them a strong sense of purpose and fulfillment.
The good times, and the bad, affected their family and decedents
Of course, they experienced hardships, as well.
And many of the difficult times were brought on by circumstances affecting the entire region of Cádiz — including a series of epidemics, repeated naval attacks on the city, and even outright war against Napoleon’s army.
All of the events that occurred during Cecilio and María Ignacia’s lifetime in Cádiz – in both prosperous and challenging times – profoundly affected their family.
These experiences would later influence the lives and choices of their descendants in the years that followed.
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