Like many children born in Cuba and displaced at an early age, I had little formal knowledge of the country’s past. My parent’s decision to remain after the revolution and move to Canada in 1966 removed us from the orbit of the Cuban diaspora communities as well as our extended family. In our house, a box of un-organized family photos, sundry objects, framed prints and memoirs written by ancestors were offered to me and my siblings as touchstones of family memory.
The objects, woven through with stories, represented the personalities, family dynamics and values that were our legacy. For this study, I set out to reconstruct a remote culture and place by looking afresh at the photos, reminiscences and written memoirs. I then turned to other sources to expand this family cache. The title, In Place, refers to my reliance on what was already on hand and familiar. It is also an admission that my research was a substitute for or In Place (of) a more vital connection to my culture of origin.
Here then is the story of my ancestors whose surnames were: Gonzalez de Mendoza, Batista, and Villareal Bonet, in the maternal line, and the paternal equivalents Casas Bacallao and Rodriguez Piloto.
Start with key themes for an entry point to the six part history:
Part II The Final Decades of Colonial Rule
Part IV Fat Cows and Lean Cows
Part V Revolutionaries, politicians, officers and their mothers, wives and daughters
Part VI Cold War, Church, Revolution and the Family
The history is available in seven parts in PDF format:
- Part I Colonial Life
- Part II The Final Decades of Colonial Rule
- Part III The New Republic
- Part IV Fat Cows and Lean Cows
- Part V Revolutionaries, politicians, officers and their mothers, wives and daughters
- Part VI Cold War, Church, Revolution and the Family
Supporting Documents
- Julia Batista, Fechas de Mi Vida
- Matilde Batista, Recuerdos
- Guillermina Villareal Bonet Recuerdos
- Guillermina Villareal Bonet Recuerdos, English Translation, illustrated
- Don Antonio Gonzalez de Mendoza y Bonilla 1828-1906, Su Vida y Su Familia, 1951_compressed
Photographs
- Gonzalez de Mendoza 1
- Gonzalez de Mendoza 2
- Villareal Bonet and Falla Bonet
- Gonzalez de Mendoza part 3
- Gonzalez de Mendoza part 4
- Rodriguez Piloto and Casas Bacallao 1
- Rodriguez Piloto and Casas Bacallao 2
- Casas Batista
- Gonzalez de Mendoza – Pedroso & Batista Reunions
You can contact me at: teresacasas628@gmail.com
About me
I am Gonzalez de Mendoza descendant #2112. (www.gonzalezdemendoza.com) My visual approach to this family history stems from a love of pictures and a professional background in museums and art galleries. Eduardo, my brother, assisted me with this website, my sister, Maria, proofed much of the copy and my father encouraged me at every turn. I live in Toronto, Canada with my husband, two adult children and an elderly, neurotic cat
Dear Teresa: I have been reading your very detailed story as published on the Internet. Great details which validates our very proud heritage. I will forward it to my brothers and sisters and more importantly to my children. Soy Jose Maria R. Arellano y de Cardenas #4231. Pienso eres prima de Melchor companero y buen amigo DLS Miramar
con quien converse mucho en la ultima reunion. Te buscare en el libro. Te felicito por tu esfuerzo. Te enviare un breve escrito sobre el Cuadro de Don Antonio. Te agradezco cualquier correcion. Mi correo es: CanimarOil@aol.com Enviame el tuyo cuando tengas un chance. Favor acusar recibo de esta comunicacion.
Carinos,
Jose Maria
I Found out recently that I am a descendant of the Batista y varona family from camaguey Cuba. My great grandfather was Francisco Javier Batista y varona. His father was Melchor Batista y caballero. I ran across your history of family while researching my family. It seems that there is a connection with Melchor, Julia’s husband, but I’m not sure. The names and places of Francisco birth and home are close to melchors. I just wanted to drop you a note of thanks for your work. The Internet makes this a very small world
Hello Teresita (that was how we called your mother), I’ve read your admirable family & Cuban history & must congratulate you for your astonishing work. ¡Bravisima!
I suppose I am the oldest living member of the Batista’s and your second cousin,
your grandmother (tia Guillermina) was my private teacher (at home) and your mother was our frequent playmate in el Vedado. Eddy had been a schoolmate of mine but we were never close. The last I heard from him was when he called me to
say your mother had died. With my fondest embrace, Agustin
Hello Agustin, Thank you so very much for contacting me and giving such a warm support and endorsement of my family history. My father is still alive and living several blocks away here in Toronto. He sends his warm regards and best wishes for the new year.
As the oldest living member of the family I know I can count on you to make any corrections and additions to the website. Is there any important information missing? Do you have any photographs or reminiscences you or your relatives wish to share? If so, forward these to my email: teresacasas628@gmail.com.
From the frozen north I send you a warm hug and my sincere thanks.
Teresa
Hi, hello…
I am so overwhelmed looking at the pictures and reading my family story never heard. My name is Maria Cristina Arguello Batista. I am from Mexico and my mother is Maria Cristina Batista Mazas- daughter of Juan Gabriel Batista y Heydrich. Could you be so kind to provide me any information of my grand father and great grand fathers, Ernesto and Maria? I would appreciate it. I would love to be in contact with you too if you do not mind. I just happen to be so happy to know i have family 🙂 Thank you so much. My email address is arguellobcristina@gmail.com
Hello,I am your grandfathers niece. My mother Ana Maria Batista Heydrich was his sister. I met your grandfather many times. I met your aunt Maria Elena Maza twice. My cousin Beatrice Cordova de Cardenas met your mother when she first married and moved to Mexico. She lives in Saltillo and has two daughters and several grandchildren. Please contact us.
Susana Oberheiser Batista married name Nye
Hola Teresa, mi primo José María Arellano me mando ayer tus escritos sobre la familia, los cuales están muy interesantes. Te felicito por tu gran labor.
Soy Agustin R. Arellano y de la Guardia, #4252. Yo también tengo un buen amigo, Carlos Batista, hermano menor de Melchor. Fuimos compañeros de clase en La Salle de Miramar.
Hace 2 anos termine un proyecto sobre el origen de los Ramirez de Arellano a travez de un historiador español. Te voy a mandar una copia.
Recibe un cariñoso abrazo,
Agustin
Hola Teresa, me llamo Fernando Batista y te escribo desde Madrid. My father was Agustín Batista, whose comment and your reply I just saw above. Sadly my father passed away in 2019 and his brother, the publisher Victor Batista, tragically died from Covid in 1920 during his first ever trip to Cuba since 1960, so his generation is now gone. I have not yet read your writings about the family, but I wanted to thank you beforehand. I was born in Cuba but have lived in exile since the age of two, mostly in Europe. On my only trip to the island back in 2001 we travelled by car to Falla, where Central Adelaida is located, now under a revolutionaty name. This morning I printed your Part VI so I can read it on my flight from Madrid to NY tomorrow, a reading which is long overdue..
Mil gracias por tu maravilloso trabajo,
Fernando
Hola Fernando,
Que gusto oir de un miembro de la familia que ha leido mi family history!! I heard about your uncle Victor’s tragic death of Covid during his return to Cuba. I’m sorry for the loss of your father, I was so delighted that he gave my research and interpretation the thumbs up! My own father died exactly a year ago today and in his memory I revisited this site. There’s a lot of link rot I’m afraid. And I never got around to translating Julia Batista Mendoza’s “Fechas de mi Vida”. Did you finish Part VI? What did you think? For some reason the comments left on this site are not routed to my email. I’m at teresacasas628@gmail.com
un abrazo,
Teresa