THE WORK OF PIA FOUNDED BY DIEGO DE ESCOBAR IN 1600

Abstract

The Spanish sense of honor compelled families or distinguished personages to ensure that members of their lineage lived with decorum. This was achieved by founding mayorazgos, ties or pious works.

The honor in the woman was jealously defended by the Spanish peninsular and by the Creole. Distinguished ladies, even if they were poor, had to be virtuous. If they were single, they must be maids. If they married, they had to grant a dowry.

The pious work founded by Diego de Escobar in 1600 is surely the oldest of the Royal Audience of Quito, current Ecuador.

This article exposes the trajectory of its offspring, who received the rents of the pious work and kept the memory of the founder until the 19th century. It includes the following aspects: Notes on the Villarroel family, descendant of the founder of the pious work. We emphasize a branch of the Villarroel. On the other hand, we give birth to the latest biographical information on Don Mariano de Larrea Villarroel, descendant, by his mother, of the founder of the pious work, with information on the Ecuadorian independence period. The text contains three annexes. The information is extracted from various files.