Martinez del Rio
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[edit] The Martinez del Rio Family
The Martinez del Rio family in Mexico shares with few others the top echelon of Mexico's most prominent families. The family has been important in shaping Mexico's politics, economy and society from the time of Mexican independence from Spain, until the present day. So much has the family's influence in Mexican history been that the University of Texas at Austin wrote a book on this Mexican family to teach Mexican history.
Originally from the nobility of the Spanish region of Cantabria and the Italian region of Piemonte, the Martinez del Rio family currently has less than 200 members, most of whom still reside in Mexico. The family tree has been kept intact from the 8th century and the family can trace direct lineage to Spain's medieval hero Mio Cid.
The family lived through trying times during the second half of the XIX century when the family sided with Mexico's Conservatives (Conservadores) who supported a Monarchy. In fact, Jose Pablo Martinez del Rio was the spokesman of the delegation that offered the Crown of the Mexican Empire to Maximilian I of Mexico (Originally Maximilian of Hapsburg) in 1864. Benito Juárez, who was the leader of Mexico's Liberals (Liberales) confiscated the family's "La Hormiga" hacienda, which was then turned into Mexico's Presidential Residence "Los Pinos" and confiscated properties known as "Encinillas" which comprised 60,000 km² of land that the family owned in northern Mexico.
Once Benito Juárez took control of Mexico as president he had Maximilian put to death by firing squad in 1867 and banished Jose Pablo to his native Milan, Italy. It was not until 1870 that Juárez granted a "general amnesty" and the exilees could return, but their properties remained in the hands of the State. The Martinez del Rios joined their blood through marriage with several descendants of Agustin de Iturbide, who obtained Mexico's independence from Spain and was the country's first emperor. Mexico's short-lived royalty maintains its lineage to this day, explained in the Casa Imperial's (Imperial House) website.
The family's historic archive contains nearly 60,000 documents which were classified by Jose Pablo's great grandson Carlos and donated in 2006 by Ana Cristina, Carlos' daughter to The Center of Mexican History (CEHM) Condumex. The archive contains more than 300 years of family history.
It was not until the presidency of Porfirio Diaz in the late 1800s and early 1900s that the family received some restitution of Benito Juárez's confiscations.
The Martinez del Rio family acquired an interest in the Joaquin Moreno land grant in present-day McLennan County, Texas. Subsequent grants from the Republic of Texas and state of Texas were patented in conflict with the Moreno grant. Resolution of several of these conflicts made it to the Supreme Court of Texas (52 Texas Reports 170 and 62 Texas Reports 695). The family also loaned a significant amount to the government of Ecuador, so that it could pursue its independence from Gran Colombia (the ex-Spanish colony).
Ever since independence, the family has had strong ties to the United Kingdom, where historically many of its members lived and received their education.
[edit] Other Famous Family Members
- Dolores Del Rio (Hollywood actress) - She married businessman Jaime Martinez del Rio
- Father Alvaro Corcuera Martinez del Rio - Director General of the Catholic Order of The Legionaries of Christ
- Dr. Carlos Martinez del Rio - Professor of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming
[edit] Reference
- "Kinship, Business and Politics, The Martinez del Rio Family in Mexico 1823-1867" by David W. Walker, University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-74308-4
