Early Life, Family and Training The story of Antonio Ponce begins in Valladolid, where he was born in 1608. His early years were shaped by the service of his family, for his father worked as a servant in the household of Juan de Zúñiga, the 1st Duke of Peñaranda. This connection to a noble house meant that the family’s path was destined for the capital; when Antonio was only one month old, they moved to Madrid. It was in this bustling…