Daughter of Antonio de Proaño, aguador (water carrier) of the Palace of the Dukes of the Infantado in Guadalajara. She was in the service of the 3rd Duke, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza as a maid to his daughter, The Duke fell madly in love with her in 1529-1531. The Duke married her in 1530.
According to Mazuela-Anguita, the duke was “Fascinated by the musical skills of María Maldonada (known as La Maldonada), [so] he hired her for the service of his daughter, replacing another servant musician in her employ. The duke then appears to have fallen in love with La Maldonada, showered her with gifts, including musical instruments (vihuelas, a small clavichord and a harpsichord), and a book of polyphony; he married her a few months before he died, regardless of his children’s disapproval (Pecha Historia: fol. 214r–v; Layna Serrano 1942, 3: 117–18; Freund Schwartz 2001a: 374–75).” (mazuela2016, 571).