I would like to share this, for the sake of keeping the memory of the ancestors alive.
The empress Charlotte of Belgium had the kindness to appoint my fifth great-grandmother, María Rojas de López Portillo (wife of Jesús López Portillo y Serrano, state councilor to Emperor Maximilian and his imperial prefect, Governor of Jalisco), as one of her four ladies-in-waiting, alongside the following ladies:
- Rafaela Pérez-Palacios de Elguero (wife of Hilario de Elguero y Guisasola)
- Matilde (Romero de) Terreros de Cervantes (wife of Miguel de Cervantes y Estanillo)
- Refugio Pradel de Adalid (wife of Joaquín de Adalid y Sánchez de Tagle)
The notice was published in "El Diario del Imperio" No. 380 on April 6, 1866, two years after Doña Carlota was crowned Empress of Mexico.
The empress proposed several reforms and outlined various plans to improve the region she governed and the lives of those within it. The titles of ladies-in-waiting were not merely honorary; they also carried out various duties as representatives of the empress.
On June 25, 1866, she wrote the following letter to my fifth great-grandmother:
"My dear Mrs. de López Portillo,
I have received your three interesting letters and the attached statements, sincerely thanking you for the news you provide and your diligence in carrying out my instructions, as well as the kind wishes you offer for my birthday.
I have had all the proposals for improvements transcribed and forwarded to the ministries so they may report on the outcome, and I have just received Mr. Lacunza's response, which I enclose herewith.
As for the schools, I see from the Guadalajara information that the city council is redirecting public instruction funds toward other purposes; I believe it would be very helpful if you could convince your husband to have the taxes collected on their behalf applied directly to them, according to the aforementioned table.
Please accept the assurance of the true esteem of
Yours affectionately."
Regardless of the opinions surrounding the empress, there is ample documentation of the good deeds she wished to implement for her ill-fated empire.
One more memory of this appointment remains. In the entryway of the home of my uncle, Guillermo Tovar de Teresa (now the Museo Soumaya Casa Guillermo Tovar de Teresa), there was a porcelain Virgin of Guadalupe sent by the emperors to María Rojas and Jesús López Portillo to mark the happy occasion. That figure of the Virgin still sits in the exact same spot for anyone who wishes to visit the museum.
Warm regards,
Erik Andrés Reynoso y Márquez.
