Carmen de Santistevan y Avilés (May 3, 1810 – March 30, 1904) was the First Lady of Ecuador from 1856 to 1859 as the wife of President

Francisco Robles Francisco Robles García (5 May 1811 – 7 March 1893) was President of Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally ...

Early life

Carmen de Santistevan y Avilés was born on May 3, 1810 in Daule, then part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. She was the daughter of Gabriel de Santistevan y Olvera and his first wife, Francisca de Avilés y Castro, with whom he had another daughter named Francisca. After her father became a widower, he traveled to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, remarried, and had nine children, never returning to Ecuador. She was a descendant of the paternal line of the

Komnenos Komnenos ( gr, Κομνηνός; Latinized Comnenus; plural Komnenoi or Comneni (Κομνηνοί, )) was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1081 to 1185, and later, as the Grand Komnenoi (Μεγαλοκομνην� ...

, an important dynasty of the Byzantine Empire.

Marriage and offspring

Carmen de Santistevan y Avilés met and became engaged to General

while living with her sister Francisca, who was married to Robles's brother, Ciríaco Robles García. Their wedding took place on November 5, 1835 in Guayaquil Cathedral. The marriage produced three children, the first of whom did not reach adulthood: * Francisco Robles y Santistevan (1838–1841) * Ignacio Robles y Santistevan (1839–1915), married to Rafaela de Buenaventura y Macías, with offspring * Dolores Robles y Santistevan (1841–1904), married to José Serafín Baquerizo Vera, with offspring Her son Ignacio became a

corvette captain Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy uses ...

, the civil and military chief of the Plaza de Guayaquil (1895),

Eloy Alfaro José Eloy Alfaro Delgado (25 June 1842 – 28 January 1912) often referred to as "The Old Warrior," was an Ecuadorian politician who served as the President of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. Eloy Alfaro emerged as the leader ...

's Minister of Foreign Affairs (1895–1896), the governor of Guayas (1896–1898), and the consul of Mexico in Guayaquil (1896–1902), among other posts. The wedding of her daughter Dolores took place on September 26, 1856 in the halls of

Carondelet Palace Carondelet Palace ( es, Palacio de Carondelet) is the seat of government of the Republic of Ecuador, located in Quito. Access is by the public space known as Independence Square or Plaza Grande (colloquial name), around which are also the Arch ...

Later years

A practicing

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, she joined others (such as First Lady Teresa Jado) in defending the cause of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

who unexpectedly arrived in Guayaquil when they were expelled from the

Republic of New Granada The Republic of New Granada was a 1831–1858 centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil. On 9 May 1834, the national flag wa ...

in 1851. Carmen de Santistevan y Avilés died in Guayaquil on March 30, 1904 at the age of 93. She was buried in the , where the family owned a mausoleum richly decorated with sculptures.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santistevan y Aviles, Carmen 1810 births 1904 deaths 19th-century Ecuadorian women 20th-century Ecuadorian women First ladies of Ecuador People from Daule Canton