Maria de Adeva

Maria de Adeva

María de Adeva born about 1532 in Corral de Almaguer, España

Married:

1. Bartolomé Romero, I. (born 1528 Corral de Almaguer, Toledo, España died after 1567)

Bartolomé and Maria had at least three children:

1. Bartolomé, early settler of New Mexico
2. Juan Romero
3. Unknown

Strong evidence from archives of the Inquisition show that the Romeros who came to NM were Jewish conversos, and who continued to live under church suspicions of Jewish practices. ONMF, p. 95-98

The name Adeva/Benadeva may have several different etymological explanations. The prefix "ben" is the Hebrew word for "son of". The name is a Sephardic Jewish name from Morocco, deriving from (son of) Adiba. Other possible Hebrew derivations might include Ben Adiv, and ben Nadiv. Another potential origin might be the Moorish Spanish "bena adiba", a vernacular allusion to the Hebrew name of some fiftnnth-century Jewish families in the Iberian Peninsula.