Zayas is an old Castilian noble family, that has its ancestral seat in a place called Zaya in the province of

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populatio ...

, from where the family took its name. The word ''Zayas'' has its origin in the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

word ''Zai'', meaning watchman or guard.Jaime de Querexeta, ''Diccionario Onomastico y Heraldico Vasco'' The novelist

María de Zayas María de Zayas y Sotomayor (born 12 September 1590) was a writer during the Spanish Golden Age. She is considered by many modern critics to be one of the pioneers of feminist literature, while others consider her simply a well-accomplished ba ...

belonged to this family. Members of the family also settled in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, where the family owned large sugar plantations and members of the family distinguished themselves in Cuban society as doctors, writers, politicians and diplomats.

Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso Alfredo de Zayas y Alfonso (February 21, 1861 – April 11, 1934), usually known as Alfredo de Zayas under Spanish naming customs and also known as Alfredo Zayas, was a Cuban lawyer, poet and political figure who was President of Cuba. He ser ...

, a lawyer, poet and politician, served as

President of Cuba The president of Cuba (), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba (), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was established under the Constitution of 2019. The President is the second-highest office in Cuba and ...

from 1921 to 1925. He was the son of Dr. José María de Zayas y Jiménez (1824–1887), a noted lawyer and educator, and had two brothers: Dr. Juan Bruno de Zayas y Alfonso (1867–1896), a medical doctor and revolutionary hero who died in the war for Cuba's independence, and Dr. Francisco de Zayas y Alfonso (1857–1924), Cuba's long-time Minister to Paris and Brussels. He also had a illegitimate brother, whose name has been lost to history. The American legal scholar, historian and UN official

Alfred-Maurice de Zayas Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born 31 May 1947) is a Cuban-born American lawyer and writer, active in the field of human rights and international law. From 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2018, he served as the first UN Independent Expert on the Promotion o ...

is a descendant of Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso.

References

External links

''Orígenes'' - Zayas Publishing, Inc.
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821131501/http://www.zayaspublishing.com/laminas/default.asp , date=2010-08-21 Spanish noble families Cuban nobility