Saint James Matamoros the Americas as a rival force to the indigenous gods, and protector of Spaniards from the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was depicted as a conquistador. The Order of Santiago, a Spanish order of knighthood, originates from St. James' supposed involvement at the Battle of Clavijo. A wide number of Mexican settlements were named Matamoros by Spanish settlers in honour of their patron saint. Matamoros can also be found as a Hispanic family name, for instance Miguel Matamoros. In the 1620s Spain debated who should be the country's patron—James, the current patron, or a combination of him and the
Michelle Patron professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs. Patron is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has written for "Foreign Affairs", "Financial Times", and the "Los Angeles Times". Patron is the daughter of Judi Billig and Bob Billig of North Miami Beach, Florida. She was married on November 15, 2008, to David I. Patron, at the time an executive with American Express. Michelle Patron Michelle Naomi (Billig) Patron (born 1974) is an energy policy expert who currently serves in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for energy and climate change