Martín Casillas

Martín Casillas (1556–1618) was a Spanish architect, best known for designing the Cathedral of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. In recognition of his work, Casillas was rewarded with land in the highlands of Jalisco, which was passed down through his family for many generations.

Life

Don Martín Casillas was born in Almendralejo, Extremadura, Spain, about 1556. He arrived in Puebla de Los Angeles, Nueva Espana, around 1578 with the new viceroy, Don Lorenzo de Suarez y Mendoza, Count of Coruna. Don Martín was commissioned to work on the cathedral in Puebla, but was reassigned to Mexico City after Viceroy Lorenzo died in 1583. He took with him his wife Mencia Gonzalez Cabrera, daughter of Francisco Jimenez and Mencia Gonzalez Cabrera, and their two children, Maria and Martin (born 1580 and 1582, respectively). His third child, Francisco, was born in Mexico City in 1584, and later grew up to be an architect like his father.

After approximately two years in the capital, Casillas was sent to Guadalajara, where he and his wife had four more children: Rodrigo Bernardo, Mariana, Domingo, and Ines. The city's old cathedral, a primitive adobe structure with a thatch roof, had been severely damaged by a fire in 1574. Casillas won a bid for the contract to design an entirely new one in 1600. The new building, later known as the Guadalajara Cathedral, was completed in 1618. Today it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.

For his efforts, Don Martín Casillas was given land in El Valle de Guadalupe, Los Altos, Jalisco.^[1] He was originally buried in Mexico City, but some years later his body was exhumed and interred in the family vault within the Guadalajara Cathedral. His wife and several of his children and grandchildren are also buried in the vault.

Descendants

Casillas's living descendants include brothers Mario Casillas Rabago and Gregorio Casal (born Jose de Jesus Casillas Rabago), both well-known film actors in Mexico. They are the sons of Jose Casillas Lozano and Carmen Rabago, who both hail from San Miguel El Alto Jalisco, where Don Martín's original Jalisco estate was located. Also, Art Martinez de Vara Mayor of Von Ormy, Texas.

Several people with the surname Casillas have submitted DNA results. The descendants with a well documented paper trail back to Martín Casillas belong to the R1b-152 haplogroup.

References