Margarida Cabral de Melo

Margarida Luísa Cabral de Melo
Fidalga of the Royal House of Portugal.
Noble family	Cabral-Melo Coutinho
Born	1570 Azores, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	1631 Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of Peru
Religion	Roman Catholic

Margarida Cabral de Melo (1570–1631) was a Portuguese noble lady. In 1599 she settled with her husband and children in Buenos Aires. She was one of the most powerful women in the Río de la Plata, in the early 17th century, owns of luxury homes, farms and vineyards. Among his Royal lineage was Fernando I, Duke of Braganza, grandson of John I of Portugal.

Margarida was born in Santa Maria Island, the daughter of Matias Nunes Cabral and Maria Simões de Melo. She and her husband Amador Vaz de Alpoim, sons and sister Inês Nunes Cabral (wife of Gil Gonçalves de Moura), arrived to Buenos Aires from Rio de Janeiro, where they had lived for five years.

When her husband died in 1617, Margarida inherited the ranch in the town of Luján. The ranch was administered by his son Manuel Cabral de Alpoim, an expert rider, Lieutenant Governor of Corrientes. Margarida possessed one of the most luxurious houses in the city, with mahogany furniture, carved silverware, tapestry and among its jewelery, a gold parrot.

His ancestors belonged to almost all European royal houses, Margarita Cabral de Melo and his sister Inés Núñez Cabral were descendants of Mem Soares de Melo and Nuno Velho Cabral, nephew of Gonçalo Velho Cabral. Other ancestors include Álvaro Martins Homem 3°Captain of Praia, and Beatriz de Noronha, maternal granddaughter of João Fernandes de Andrade.

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