Lope Ruiz de Esparza
Don Lope Ruiz de Esparza (c. 1569 – 14 August 1651) was a Basque nobleman, patriarch and early settler of Aguascalientes. History Don Lope Ruiz de Esparza was born in Pamplona, to a family of Basque nobility. It appears Lope Ruiz de Esparza was the first Esparza to come from Spain to New Spain. Many genealogists agree he may be the only Esparza to settle in New Spain and is the ancestor of all the Esparza families in early Mexico and the early U.S. The surname Esparza is said to mean one who came from Esparza (a barren place or a place where feather grass grew) in Spain. The word was derived from the Latin ('spread abroad, scattered'), probably referring to land that yields little. Esparza is the name of a village near Pamplona in Navarre, Spain. It is very likely that the Ruiz de Esparza family of Aguascalientes could trace its roots back to that small village. The patriarch of this family in Mexico was Lope Ruiz de Esparza, who is documented by the (Vol. III – #2.633) as having sailed from Spain to Mexico on 8 February 1593. After arriving in Mexico, Lope made his way to Aguascalientes,