Esperanza Lopez Mateos Ancestry

The written "record" in chronological order...
Ancestry records at the bottom

Esperanza and Adolfo Lopez Mateos' births were concealed in mystery for over a hundred years. It is only with the capability to compile and search electronic records that the truth was revealed.

Henry's first (not accurate) story he sent home in 1941

letter from Henry to his sister Marie 8-11-1941
letter from Henry to his mom 8-27-1941

Esperanza is born 2 months after her father Doctor Mariano Lopez is killed by Rurales in northern Mexico in 1913. Elena and the children go to live at the sugar plantation of a friend in Chiapas. The plantation is burned to the ground by revolutionaries and the owner killed. The mother and 4 children (and 2 nephews) go to live with Indians. At 14 Esperanza goes to work in the hospital.

Esperanza and Adolfo were illegitimate at a time when that was a social stain. To protect the children, a story was told that Mariano died somewhere far away when they were young. When the question is asked, how, details could be provided, adding some excitement and blending fiction with some truth.


Gabriel Figueroa's (not accurate) story

Gabriel Figueroa - 2005 "Memorias" published after his death - also 1996 in Poniatowska "La Mirada que Limpia"

Esperanza was adopted by Elena. She was the daughter of Gonzalo de Murga, a Spaniard with a sugar plantation in southern Oaxaca, and an English woman. Her birthname was Clara. She was adopted by Elena when Don Gonzalo separated from his wife. Elena renamed her Esperanza for a child with that name who had died. Elena consented to take the girl on condition that Don Gonzalo give up all parental influence. Esperanza was not even a half-sister of her brother Adolfo.

Gabriel Figueroa was the same age as Esperanza. He was her second cousin and his brother was her husband. Gabriel lived with them as adults and was very close to her growing up. People close to the family would have heard that Mariano died before the children were born, for them a story better suited was that the children were adopted. Adolfo’s mysterious birth became an issue in 1945 when he stood for the Senate. Politically it would not work for him to have been born with a Spaniard father. It may have been then that a document postdating Mariano’s death to 1915 was created. Figueroa in his writings never directly addresses Adolfo’s birth. Poniatowska’s last quote from Figueroa in her book, the last words in the book - “I have always sought and found happiness.” You get what you concentrate on. He achieved his remarkable creativity by concentrating on the things he wanted and not the inessential. Again the truth is blended with fiction. Murga was the father of both children apparently. His wife did leave him and took their boy to England. Murga's mother was named Clara. Elena did have a child who died, a one year old boy in 1905.


Esperanza and Traven both maintained she was his daughter.


It isn't long (1942) before Henry also has the adopted story. And then in late 1942 Esperanza is called away to nurse a dying Traven, who recovers, but Henry receives the amazing news that Esperanza has learned that Traven is her father. That is a story he heard direct from Esperanza. Then she breaks off her relationship with him. She soon regrets that, but never changes the father story. She repeats the father story a few times and Traven, too, is in on it. From that point on, Henry thinks Elena has adopted Esperanza, her real mother is dead, and Traven is her real father, none of which is true.

draft from Henry 1-14-1943 -
The price of finding a father was paid by my losing you. Your new plans....


letter from Esperanza to Henry 3-18-1943 -

the months of December and January were extremely distressing for me, because on the one hand I was worried about my father's health who, as you know, had left the hospital when he was still very ill to return to his lands...


letter from Esperanza to Henry 12-16-1943 -

My father has returned to the jungle but at least his health is good. He looks like he's writing a new book that has absorbed all of his attention...


letter from B. Traven to Henry 6-19-1946 -

"My daughter delivered your amazing letter...all the animals which crowd this funny world come to it by the same mechanism, so, where is de difference? This man who is writing to you never knew his parents, but he is sure they were nice stuff, since they begoted a grand-daughter as wonderful lovely and damn intelligent as my girl."


letter from Esperanza to Henry 12-10-1946 -

P.S. Don't tell Gay that I am the daughter of "the old one" not him or anyone else but you and I know it.

In 1946 Henry sent Traven a letter through Esperanza (now lost) in which Henry evidently called Traven a psychologically disordered bastard. Everything Henry knows about Traven comes from Esperanza. Perhaps Henry has noticed Traven is not acting fatherly in Esperanza's stories. None of Esperanza's letters from the war period when Henry was in Europe have survived. Traven replied (found in a deep dark corner of an Indiana farmhouse attic) to Henry's amazing letter, threatening to kill him. They got off to a rocky start. Henry said that Traven trailed him more than once, but Henry never laid eyes on Traven.



The women in the family kept the true story alive for over 100 years

Regina Santiago Núñez, 2005 "Un Quijote en México" -
Esperanza and Adolfo were the children of Gonzalo de Murga and Elena Mateos


Adriana González Mateos, 2014 "Otra Máscara de Esperanza" -
Esperanza and Adolfo were the children of Gonzalo de Murga and Elena Mateos. The father in the official history, Mariano, died well before either was born.

Two women of the family - Regina is a granddaughter of Murga, Adriana is a distant niece of Esperanza - put into their books the stories they heard growing up.




In late October 2015 Ancestry dot com announced the addition of millions of new Mexico records online.

Esperanza was born in 1907, Adolfo in 1908. The official father, Mariano, died in 1904. No father is listed for Esperanza or Adolfo. The new records made news in Mexico.
Searching documentary traces of a Mexican presidential family: Lopez Mateos


Jorge Benitez on 7-6-2015 sent me the photocopy of the Baptism certificate of Maria Esperanza Adolfina. It contains the name of the godfather, Adolfo Artabe. Jorge also knew that Mariano had died in 1904.

Jorge's transcription below (and my machine aided translation) -

Partida No. 153, María Esperanza Adolfina.

En la Parroquia de San Cosme a diecinueve de enero de 1907, el presbítero Basilio Laca, con autorización del señor cura de la mencionada Parroquia, bauticé solemnemente a una niña que nació el día ocho del presente mes, en la Calle Sur 38 número 426 a quién puse por nombres María Esperanza Adolfina, hija natural de Elena Mateos. Fueron sus padrinos Don Adolfo Artabe y Natalia Vilar de Enríquez, a quiénes advertí sus obligaciones y parentesco espiritual. Doy fe.


Item No. 153, Maria Esperanza Adolfina.

In the parish of San Cosme on January 19, 1907, the priest Basilio Laca, with permission of the priest of that parish, solemnly baptized a baby girl born on the eighth day of this month, at Calle Sur 38 number 426 whose name is Maria Esperanza Adolfina, natural daughter of Elena Mateos. Godparents were Don Adolfo Artabe and Natalia Vilar de Enriquez, whom I advised of their obligations and spiritual kinship. I attest.

Baptism of Maria Esperanza Adolfina Mateos

Author Adriana González Mateos comments -

"the phrase: 'hija natural'. This means illegitimate daughter. The phrase is not used any more, since for several decades this difference disappeared from the law and all children are considered equal, regardless of whether their parents are married or not. But, back in 1907, this meant Esperanza's parents weren't married; as we had seen before, the name of the father isn't even mentioned."




Baptism of Elena -Esperanzas mother
Esperanza's mother Elena
Elena and Gabriel / Roberto Figueroa's mother were first cousins, making Esperanza and Roberto second cousins
Gonzalo de Murga marriage
Esperanza's probable father
Born 1869 in Spain, his mother was named Clara
Birth of Murgas son in 1897
Birth of son for Gonzalo Murga and Dolores Huguenin, apparently their only child
Marriage of Elena and Mariano 1899 Marriage of Elena and Mariano 1899
The marriage of Elena Mateos and Mariano Lopez
Birth of first son Mariano 1900
Birth of first child, a son Mariano
Birth of daughter Elena 1901
Birth of daughter Elena
Death of Mariano 1904
Death of Mariano - Elena's husband
Birth of son Rafael 1904
Birth of son Rafael on same day as Father's death
Death of son Rafael 1905
Death of infant Rafael at one year
Birth of Esperanza 1907
Birth of Esperanza
Baptism of Esperanza 1907
Baptism of Esperanza
Birth of Adolfo 1908
Birth of Adolfo, the future president of Mexico
Marriage of Esperanza and Roberto 1934
Marriage of Esperanza Lopez Mateos and Roberto Figueroa (scanning error on Roberto's last name)
Her birth year 1907
Death of Gonzalo de Murga 1934
Death of Gonzalo de Murga 1934
Gabriel Figueroa ("La Mirada que Limpia") said he went to the wake with Esperanza in the Del Valle neighborhood, a neighborhood that Murga had been in charge of subdividing. This is not far from the neighborhood where Esperanza and Figueroa live.
Death of Elena 1945
Death of mother Elena in 1945
Death of Esperanza 1951
Death of Esperanza 1951
Detail of Esperanza death 1951
Death of Esperanza 1951
Herida producida por proyectil de arma de fuego
Gunshot wound (wound produced by firearm projectile)