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Petra and Roxana Perez-Quiros wrote the following and since they have now passed away and got little, if any, credit for their research, I include some of their writing for members of our family. I've had to do a little editing to shorten their story and if anyone would like to see all 36 pages, I can provide them.

"Our Quiros family are descendants of Don Alvaro Bernaldo de Quiros, the second son of Don Felipe Bernaldo de Quiros and Dona Catalina Bernaldo de Miranda, Lady of Olloniego, in the province of Oviedo, Asturias, Espana.

According to the rules of primogeniture, the first-born son inherited everything, so it was customary for the younger sons to enter the church or the military. When exploration of the new world began, many of these younger sons became soldiers and left Europe to seek adventure and fortune in Mexico (New Spain), the Americas and other regions. Among them was Don Alvaro Bernaldo de Quiros who settled in Mexico. A branch of the Quiros are known to have settled in Peru and Chile. In 1688 records show that a Quiros was in the Royal Tribunal of the territory of Chile. - We do not have the actual date when the Quiros family settled in Mexico but the first historical records found is of Don Juan de Quiros in 1649. He was one of the inhabitants of the region who went to aid missionaries in a Pima Indian uprising in northern Sonora.

The next mention is of Don Diego de Quiros, soldier, who was placed in charge of the fortress, La Villa de Sinaloa, from 1689 to 1692. He was promoted Captain for life and later also became mayor of the province of Sinaloa. In 1692 he was ordered to fight the Pimas who had minor uprising in Saltuaripa in the region of Sonora. We believe he is of our lineage, possibly the son or nephew of Don Juan de Quiros. We have not been able to trace his descendants. - The first verified information is of Nicolas Quiros y Mora who settled in Culiacan, Sinaloa in about 1740. He married Isabel Verdugo and they had 3 children: Juan Nicolas who entered the priesthood; Maria Antonia who married Joaquin Campoy; Pedro who married Ana Maria Verdugo, their exact family relationship is unknown. They had 10 children who were all born in Culiacan since no entries were found of them in Alamos records. - Father Juan Nicolas Quiros y Verdugo at age thirty was sent to Alamos in 1787 as parish priest. He replaced Father Jose Almada y Reyes, the former bishop's nephew. Bishop Antonio de los Reyes, a Franciscan priest, was the first bishop of Snora and Sinaloa and founder of the first public schools. Father Jose had devoted his time to the schools and when his uncle, the bishop, died he asked to be relieved of his parochial duties in order to devote his full time to teaching. - Father Juan invited his brother, Pedro, to move with his family to Alamos. He was seriously ill and Pedro died January 1, 1789, not even a year after his arrival in Alamos. Pedro's widow and 10 children remained in Alamos under the care and protection of Father Juan. He build a large house on the plaza for all of them. It was rumored that a secret underground passage led from the house to the church but it has never been found. The house was sold upon his death passing through several families including the Urrea's and eventually became a well-known hotel, LaCase de los Tesoros.

Until 1823 Father Juan signed his letters "Priest of His Majesty" and it was the following year he changed it to "Priest by the Mexican Nation." He became a bishop and was very active in community affairs serving as a representative in the local government. He received many honors, was very influential and respected. Upon his death at the ripe age of 92, May 16, 1849, the entire city of Alamos mourned his passing. (He is mentioned in Diccionario Porrua de Historia Biografia y Geografia de Mexico.) - All the Quiros in Sonora are believed decended from Pedro Quiros-Verdugo and his wife, Ana Amria Verdugo de Quiros. We have records of his children: Pedro, married Josefa Gil LaMadrid; Jose Maria, married Ignacia Campoy, and a third whose name is unknown. The other seven children may have moved back to Culiacan or relocated elsewhere. No marriage, baptismal or death records that apply to the family have been found in the annals of Alamos; some records were undoubtedly destroyed during the many invasions and fighting over the city. - We are directly descended from Jose Maria Quiros-Verdugo and Ignacia Campoy. They had five children: Trinidad, married Francisca Gil; Manuel married Petra Fox; Isabel married Jose Maria Almada-Alvardo. She was noted as being one of the most beautiful women in Alamos, a blue-eyed blond. However, she had twenty-one children, including Jose Maria Tranquilino (Chato) in twenty-seven years. She died shortly after the birth of her last child. Her husband, Don Jose Maria Almada-Alvarado, remarried immediately. They said his wife's body was barely cold. To be married in the church, the priest required him to settle a large amount of money on each of his 21 children Isabel bore him. Don Jose had fourteen children, including Toribio, by his second wife. Juan married Josefa Torres and they had one child, Petra; Pedro married Balvanera Gil Samaniego, among their children was a son, Pedro. - Juan Quiros-Campoy and his wife, Josefa Torres, and Pedro Quiros-Campoy and his wife, Balvanera Gil Samaniego are our great-grandparents. Their children, Petra and Pedro, first cousins, became our grandparents. They were married February 5, 1870 in El Fuerte. - Pedro and Petra, our grandparents, had 11 children: (1) Ignacia married Juan Salido and moved to Mexico City, (2) Pedro married twice, Elena Murillo who died with twins in childbirth, then Luz Maldanado, (3) Juan married Maria Cazarea, (4) Natalia married Leopoldo Verdugo-Perron, (5) Maria Julia Ynes married Conrado Perez-Aranda, (6) Amelia married Baldomero Almada, (7) Luz married Ildefonso Salido, (8) Josefa married Jose Morales, (9) Antonio married Maria Torres, (10) Rafael, and (11) Gustavo. (For descendants, see the Perez-Quiros lineage.

When France invaded Mexico, the French thought they came to a "bed of roses in a field of gold." Maximilian and Charlotte naively believed they ruled by popular acclaim. Many concerned people thought the imperalists would bring needed culture and order to a backward country. Many others were against the French, so families were often divided by their loyalties. Papa Pedro remained republican, as did Chato's father, Don Jose Maria Almada ya Alvarado, although he was eventually to be arrested by an imperialist sympathizer by General Ignacio Pesquiera. Jose Maria Tranquilino Almada y Quiros (Chato), his son, ws a republican but became an imperialist in anger to avenge the death of his half-brother, and son-in-law, Toribio, by General Pesquiera. Pesquiera had brutially ordered him executed due to a political difference. He refused to allow the twenty-one year old Toribio to see his newborn baby for the first time and to say good-bye to his seventeen year old wife or his mother, as they wailed outside the prison walls. Lauro, married to Chato's sister, Martina, and Emigdio were swayed by Chato's anger and joined him in the imperialist cause. - When Chato joined the French Army, he was given the title "Imperial Prefect" with the rank of Colonel. Immediately, he formed his army, composed largely of Yaqui and Mayo mercenaries which he paid from his own pocket. He made his two cousins officers in his army. Lauro was named second in command with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Emigdio was given the rank of Captain. - After Chato's army won control of Alamos in the fierce battle in which General Antonio Rosales was killed, Chato, Lauro and Emigdio among others, received the Cross of Imperial Order of Guadalupe on November 16, 1865. (It was the same year as the end of the Civil War in the United States.) This order of the Cross of Guadalupe was created by Maximilian to especially honor outstanding Mexicans. - Chato commanded Lauro to carry out the only execution he ever ordered. Ironically it resulted in his death. An important member of the republican army, and his sixteen year old secretary, were taken prisoners. After a court martial, during which the official attempted to defend the boy, Chato arbitrarily stated, "Enough of this comedy, execute him." Before Aviles was executed, he gave Lauro his watch and his fob, but made him promist that he would take his bloody shirt to his mother, Dona Loreto Encinas de Aviles, in Guaymas. Lauro did as he promised, he told the mother what had happened and offered to return the watch and fob to her which she refused because her son had wanted Lauro to have it. Dona Loreto then called in her three remaining sons and made them swear they would avenge the death of Lorenzo, known as El Manzano. When Chato lost the main battle, he tried to escape by ship from Guaymas but was overtaken by the republicans. Abato Aviles was among those on board, he executed Chato on the spot. This aneccdote is in the Sonoran Strongman, Ignacio Pesquiera" by Rodolfo Acuna, a professor at Cal State, Northridge.

As Chato and his imperialists prepared to defend Alamos against the attack by General Angel Martinez and his macheteros, the imperialist sympathizers, among many others, evacuated the town. General Martinez was noted for his savagery, his troops gave no quarter. Lauro and Emigdio's families fled to Chihuahua, Chato's to Guaymas. When the General captured Alamos, the troops were turned loose to desecrate the church, loot and raze all of the homes of the imperialists as well as many others. Many lost all of their possessions, as well as their lives, including Chato. Lauro and Emigdio survived, although they were left in financial difficulties, their homes razed, everything gone.