Creel-Terrazas Family
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The Creel-Terrazas family is a powerful and wealthy family based in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.
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During the rule of the Mexican president Porfirio Diaz and the Mexican Revolution, this family was part of the científico faction. The cientificos were conservative civilian technocrats and advisors of President Díaz. The family was poised to succeed Díaz in power, but it was largely discredited because of the economic decline at the time before the outbreak of the Revolution.
By the early 20th century, the family controlled 50 haciendas and ranches throughout the state with a total extension in excess of 7 million acres (28,000 km²). They owned 500,000 heads of cattle, 225,000 sheep, 25,000 horses and 5,000 mules. Encinillas, north of the state capital of Chihuahua City was the largest hacienda occupying an area of 1,300,000 acres (5,300 km²). It employed some 2,000 peons.
The wealth of the family is evident by simply examining the various properties in Chihuahua City that were owned by the clan at the outbreak of the revolution in 1910- The Casa Creel on Aldama, the Residencía Terrazas at the corner of Colón and Juárez and, formerly, the gem of the collection, the Quinta Carolina in Colonia Nombre de Díos in the north of the city. This latter was the summer estate of Don Luis Terrazas and his family. Though now in a semi-ruined state, the governments of the city and state of Chihuahua are beginning an extensive rehabilitation and restoration of the property. It must be remembered that the estate was completely outside the city at the time, and where there are now houses, once only ranchland, cultivated farmland and gardens surrounded the estate house, chapel and outbuildings.
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A book by Mark Wasserman discusses the family's "efforts to maintain its power after the Revolution, including its use of economic resources and intermarriage to forge partnerships with the new, revolutionary elite."1
After the Revolution, the Creel-Terrazas Family extended to include the Paredones and Pavlovich families that immigrated from Chile, Argentina, and Poland.
[edit] Family
Some noteworthy members of the family are:
- Don Luis Terrazas (1829-1923), founder of the clan. Elected Governor of Chihuahua in 1860, host, political ally and confidant of President Benito Juarez during the French incursion. His ranches once totaled more than 7 million acres (28,000 km²). When asked once at a social function if he were from Chihuahua, he was reported to have replied, "No soy de Chihuahua; Chihuahua es mío"("I'm not from Chihuahua; Chihuahua is mine"). Said to have faced-down his enemy Pancho Villa in a confrontation during the early days of the Revolution; he and Villa died in the same year(Terrazas from old age; Villa by assassination). Served as governor for various terms of office between 1860 and 1904.
- Enrique Creel (1854-1931): Porfirian Governor of Chihuahua from 1904 to 1906 and again from 1907 to 1911. He was the son of Reuben Creel, once the US Consul in Chihuahua, and became son-in-law of Don Luis Terrazas by virtue of marriage to his daughter (Reuben Creel and Luis Terrazas were married to sisters of the wealthy Cuilty family whose ancestry was Irish and was related to Sir Thomas More). Enrique Creel served as Mexico's Minister of Foreign Relations and as Mexico's Ambassador to the United States. He served as interpreter when Presidents Porfirio Díaz and William Howard Taft met in 1909 on the international bridge between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso. He became vice-president of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, where he was responsible for the construction of part of the railroad west of Chihuahua. His haciendas totalled 1.7 million acres (6,900 km²).
- Alberto Terrazas Cuilty, son of Luis Terrazas and Carolina Cuilty, served as Governor of Chihuahua from 1910-11.
- Francisco Javier Barrio Terrazas was Mexico's Comptroller General from 2000-2003. He is now a serving member of the national congress.
- Santiago Creel Miranda was the Minister of the Interior (Secretario de Gobernación) of Mexico from 2000 to 2005, representing the conservative PAN party. On June 1, 2005, he presented his resignation to President Vicente Fox. He is now a leading figure in the National Senate.
- José Reyes Baeza Terrazas, current (PRI party) Governor of Chihuahua (2004 - 2010), mayor of the city of Chihuahua, (1998 - 2001).
- Adrian Terrazas-Gonzales, International Musician/Recording Artist/Reedsman for The Mars Volta.
Members of the Creel-Terrazas extended family have served for a total of 67 terms in Chihuahua's state legislature, and 23 terms in the Congress of Mexico.
[edit] Notes
- Note 1: Wassermann, Mark. Persistent Oligarchs Elites and Politics in Chihuahua, Mexico, Duke University Press, January 1993. ISBN 0-8223-1345-6. 174 pages.
