Mendoza (name)

Records of the Mendoza family can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Alava, in the Basque Country, Spain.

It is believed that the family descends from the ancient Lords of Llodio (Alava), where the original patronymic house would have been.

The Mendozas belonged to the local nobility, and branched out into different family lines early on.

He was responsible for building the ancestral home of the family, the Tower of Mendoza, which still stands.

This branch of the family entered the service of the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312–1350), and took active part in the Reconquista, where they quickly acquired extensive land holdings in Castile and southern Spain through military and political service.