Esperanza Lopez Mateos Ancestry

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.