The Spanish surname Hijar is from the northern province of Aragon. The town of Hijar, located in Aragon, has a population today of about 2000. The first bearer of the name Hijar was Pedro Fernandez de Hijar, he was the illegitimate son of King Jaime I of Aragón and Berenguela Fernández, which is why his surname was the latter. Pedro was the first "Señor de Híjar", his descendants were pronounced Dukes of Híjar by The Catholic Monarchs Isabel and Fernando. In 1524 a descendant of the Dukes of Híjar, named Juan Fernández de Híjar, came to Mexico to embark on the conquest of what was then called Nueva Galicia and is now the area of the Mexican state of Jalisco and its surroundings. Juan Fernández de Híjar was a Captain and served under the Conquistador Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. Juan was a discoverer of many new places in the New World. In 1529 Juan was joined in Mexico by his brother Manuel. They were the sons of Diego Fernández de Híjar or Ijar and Beatriz de Sellán. Many of their descendants still live in the area of Nueva Galicia and in many other places of Mexico. Today there are approximately 300 bearers of the surname Hijar living in the United States.