Mexican nobility
Encyclopedia
Mexican nobility refers to the titled nobles and untitled gentry families of Mexico
. Most of the descendants of these families still live in Mexico today, but some can be found in Europe and other countries.
With the victories of the Mexican Republics over the monarchies of the First Mexican Empire
, headed by Agustín I
, and the Second Mexican Empire
, under Maximilian I
—and the writing of the Mexican Constitution of 1917
—titles of nobility in Mexico were legally abolished.
From the pre-Hispanic era, and stretching from the viceregal and colonial periods under the Habsburgs and Bourbons, to the First
and Second Mexican Empire
s and beyond, these families played vital roles in the history of Mexico. There are several periods in Mexico's modern history in which families were granted noble status
and given titles. While titles were granted in Mexico itself, other families brought with them their old titles from Europe
.
Mexicans who by marriage to titled foreigners or through outright purchase, acquired titles
of nobility from European countries excluding Spain
or the Vatican
. These were primarily Italian
and
German titles
, with some rare exceptions.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Mexican nobility—both titled and untitled—consisted of approximately 4% of Mexico’s
population, or approximately 200,000 individuals. Signers of the Mexican Declaration of Independence included: the Marqués de San Juan de Rayas, the Marqués de Salvatierra, the Marqués de Salinas del Río Pisuerga, the Conde de Santa María de Regla, the Marqués de la Cadena, the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, among others. Leading families active in 18th c. and 19th c. politics, the economy, the clergy, arts and culture included: Cervantes, Romero de Terreros, Rincón Gallardo, Pérez Gálvez, Rul, Vivanco, Canal, Cañedo, Fernández de Jáuregui, Obando, Fernández de Córdoba, Gómez de Parada, Pérez de Salazar, Valdivieso, Fagoaga, Echeverz, Dávalos de Bracamonte, Castañiza, Gómez de la Cortina, Moncada, Diez de Sollano, de Busto y Moya, Reynoso y Manso de Zúñiga, López de Zárate, Caserta, Trebuesto, García de Teruel, Vizcarra, Rábago, Sardaneta, Ozta, Azcárate, Samaniego del Castillo, Cosío, Rivadeneyra, de la Cotera, de Campa, Rodríguez Sáenz de Pedroso, Padilla, Rivascacho, Villar-Villamil, Sánchez de Tagle, Cabrero, Hurtado de Mendoza, López-Portillo, Meade, García Pimentel, Vasconcelos, Sainz Trápaga, Lascurain, Villaurrutia, Errazu, Escandón, Yturbe, Yermo, Béistegui, and Sánchez-Navarro, among others.
Historically, many of these Mexican families married into European nobility and some of these unions have produced figures such as Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
and Elena Poniatowska
, who was a descendent of a brother of Stanislaw August Poniatowski
the last King of Poland. Other families who have married into European nobility include the Gutiérrez de Estradas, and the Iturbides—the Head of the Imperial House of Mexico in exile, Maximilian von Götzen-Itúrbide
, is married to a member of the Venetian and Croatian nobility
.
The Aztecs and other Indigenous peoples in Mexico had a system of hereditary aristocracy in place when the Spanish arrived in Mexico
. The Spaniards respected this system and added to it, resulting in many unions between Aztec
and Spanish nobility
. Descendents of the elites of pre-Columbian Mexico who received these distinctions included the heirs of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II
; That family became known as the Condes de Moctezuma, and later, the Duques of Moctezuma de Tultengo
. The holders of the title, who still reside in Spain
, became part of the Spanish peerage
in 1766 when they received a Grandeza. A branch of their family, on the female side, continued to receive an annual payment from the Mexican government in the amount of some 500 Ducats, gold, until 1938, as part of a contract signed in the 16th c. granting Mexico City access to water and lumber on family property.
Some families of pure Amerindian ancestry, such as the Mixtec
Villagómez family
, were among the richest landowners in New Spain
after the conquest of the Aztec empire. Despite being part of the colonial elite after the conquest, the Villagómez retained their Mixtec identity, speaking the Mixtec language and keeping a collection of Mixtec codices.
Numerous other Indigenous elites collaborated with the conquest, earning noble titles and privileges. Most notably, all the Tlaxcallans
, who resettled into northern Mexico, became hidalgos
.
Hernán Cortés
, who was granted the title of the Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca. Approximately 130 such titles were held by Spaniards born or resident in New Spain. Main centers of population included Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Morelia (Valladolid).
At independence, a few princely dignities were accorded the Imperial family's relations and three titles of nobility—the latter already under application with the Spanish government—were recognized by the Congress of the First Mexican Empire
, such as the Marqués de Samaniego del Castillo. Knighthoods were also created, most notably, of Guadalupe. Over the nineteenth century, others received pontifical titles of nobility, and through loopholes in Spanish law, had these titles recognized as títulos de Castilla; these are known as títulos negros and include the titles of the marqués de Barrón, conde de Subervielle, conde del Valle (Fernández del Valle family), duquesa de Mier, and others. Many of these families were part of the hidalgo
class. Some families, after Mexican Independence
, received títulos de Castilla from the Spanish monarch directly, such as the duque de Regla and the duquesa de Prim, or indirectly, through marriage to individuals holding these titles, such as the duque de Castroterreño or the Escandón family members who subsequently became duques de Montellano, marqueses de Villavieja.
, under Maximilian I of Mexico
of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the nobility was resurgent.
Some of these families granted titles during these periods were the Iturbides
—whose Basque
ancestors had been ennobled by King Juan II of Aragon
—, Samaniego del Castillos, and the Marquis de la Cadena.
, Maximilian's adopted son, was prompted by reactionaries into making public pronouncements against Díaz, who promptly exiled him after he served a brief sentence given him by a martial court . Don Agustín died in exile in the U.S., where he was a Spanish professor at Georgetown University
. Members of the Rincón Gallardo, Fagoaga, and Pimentel families (marqués de Guadalupe, marqués del Apartado and conde de Heras Soto) were active in Mexico City government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senate, the armed forces, and the Academia de la Lengua or the Sociedad de Geografía e Historia. Many journeyed and lived abroad, often doing so in Paris, London, and Madrid. Most men studied at the Jesuit-run British public school, Stonyhurst College.
Around 1902, Don Ricardo Ortega y Pérez Gallardo, Mexico’s unofficial King of Arms
, commenced work on a project to prepare an encyclopedic repertoire of Mexico's aristocracy. The resulting Historia genealógica de las familias más antiguas de México (Genealogical History of the Oldest Families of Mexico), an Almanach de Gotha
of sorts, listed the histories of a select group of families residing in Mexico who held Habsburg, Bourbon, Mexican, and Pontifical titles and patents of nobility, entailments, and knighthoods; it also listed notables who had accepted honors from foreign sovereigns and republics.
After the revolution, the nobility migrated to Mexico City in large numbers; many entered the professional and educated classes. A number found employment in the diplomatic service, arts and letters, public relations, and transnational corporations. A number of European nobles, bankrupted by the wars, resettled and intermarried in Mexico from the 1940s on, including the King of Romania. Art history and antiquities attracted many, such as the Marqués de San Francisco, don Manuel Romero de Terreros, among others. Monarchists organized masses for the repose of Maximilian well into the 20th century at the Church of La Profesa
, and were kept under surveillance by the Ministry of the Interior. During Charles de Gaulle's state visit to Mexico, many turned out for the receptions. Many of them greeted the arrival of the Royal Family in 1977—the first such visit in Mexico's history—and purportedly feuded over the order of precedence at receptions. Pontifical orders of knighthood, as well as Independent orders, such as Malta, have chapters in Mexico. The most numerous is the Orden del Santo Sepulcro de Jerusalén
with nearly 200 members organized into three chapters (Chihuahua, Guadalajara, and Mexico City).
Wealthy Mexican families have attempted to obtain titles of nobility from Spain since the 1980s, when relations were re-established, but ran afoul of the law. The appeal of and fascination with the nobility in Mexico, without a doubt, has not subsided. Countless soap operas, novels, films, museum exhibits, and websites are devoted to the topic.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Most of the descendants of these families still live in Mexico today, but some can be found in Europe and other countries.
With the victories of the Mexican Republics over the monarchies of the First Mexican Empire
First Mexican Empire
The Mexican Empire was the official name of independent Mexico under a monarchical regime from 1821 to 1823. The territory of the Mexican Empire included the continental intendencies and provinces of New Spain proper...
, headed by Agustín I
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
, and the Second Mexican Empire
Second Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
, under Maximilian I
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
—and the writing of the Mexican Constitution of 1917
Constitution of Mexico
The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States is the current constitution of Mexico. It was drafted in Santiago de Querétaro, in the State of Querétaro, by a constitutional convention, during the Mexican Revolution. It was approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917...
—titles of nobility in Mexico were legally abolished.
Overview
First Mexican Empire
The Mexican Empire was the official name of independent Mexico under a monarchical regime from 1821 to 1823. The territory of the Mexican Empire included the continental intendencies and provinces of New Spain proper...
and Second Mexican Empire
Second Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
s and beyond, these families played vital roles in the history of Mexico. There are several periods in Mexico's modern history in which families were granted noble status
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
and given titles. While titles were granted in Mexico itself, other families brought with them their old titles from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Mexicans who by marriage to titled foreigners or through outright purchase, acquired titles
of nobility from European countries excluding Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
or the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. These were primarily Italian
Nobility of Italy
The Nobility of Italy consisted of individuals and their families of Italy recognized by sovereigns, such as the Holy Roman Emperor, the Holy See, Kings of Italy or certain other Italian kings and sovereigns as members of a class of persons officially enjoying hereditary privileges which...
and
German titles
German nobility
The German nobility was the elite hereditary ruling class or aristocratic class from ca. 500 B.C. to the Holy Roman Empire and what is now Germany.-Principles of German nobility:...
, with some rare exceptions.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Mexican nobility—both titled and untitled—consisted of approximately 4% of Mexico’s
population, or approximately 200,000 individuals. Signers of the Mexican Declaration of Independence included: the Marqués de San Juan de Rayas, the Marqués de Salvatierra, the Marqués de Salinas del Río Pisuerga, the Conde de Santa María de Regla, the Marqués de la Cadena, the Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, among others. Leading families active in 18th c. and 19th c. politics, the economy, the clergy, arts and culture included: Cervantes, Romero de Terreros, Rincón Gallardo, Pérez Gálvez, Rul, Vivanco, Canal, Cañedo, Fernández de Jáuregui, Obando, Fernández de Córdoba, Gómez de Parada, Pérez de Salazar, Valdivieso, Fagoaga, Echeverz, Dávalos de Bracamonte, Castañiza, Gómez de la Cortina, Moncada, Diez de Sollano, de Busto y Moya, Reynoso y Manso de Zúñiga, López de Zárate, Caserta, Trebuesto, García de Teruel, Vizcarra, Rábago, Sardaneta, Ozta, Azcárate, Samaniego del Castillo, Cosío, Rivadeneyra, de la Cotera, de Campa, Rodríguez Sáenz de Pedroso, Padilla, Rivascacho, Villar-Villamil, Sánchez de Tagle, Cabrero, Hurtado de Mendoza, López-Portillo, Meade, García Pimentel, Vasconcelos, Sainz Trápaga, Lascurain, Villaurrutia, Errazu, Escandón, Yturbe, Yermo, Béistegui, and Sánchez-Navarro, among others.
Historically, many of these Mexican families married into European nobility and some of these unions have produced figures such as Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...
and Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska is a Mexican journalist and author. Her generation of writers include Carlos Fuentes, José Emilio Pacheco and Carlos Monsiváis.-Life:Poniatowska was born in Paris to Prince Jean Joseph Evremont Sperry Poniatowski and Paula Amor Yturbe...
, who was a descendent of a brother of Stanislaw August Poniatowski
Stanislaw August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August Poniatowski was the last King and Grand Duke of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
the last King of Poland. Other families who have married into European nobility include the Gutiérrez de Estradas, and the Iturbides—the Head of the Imperial House of Mexico in exile, Maximilian von Götzen-Itúrbide
Maximilian von Götzen-Iturbide
Maximiliano Gustav Richard Albrecht Agustin von Götzen-Iturbide Maximiliano Gustav Richard Albrecht Agustin von Götzen-Iturbide Maximiliano Gustav Richard Albrecht Agustin von Götzen-Iturbide (born March 2, 1944 in Bistriţa, Romania (then Hungary), is the current head of the former Imperial House...
, is married to a member of the Venetian and Croatian nobility
Croatian nobility
Croatian nobility refers to the noble families of Croatia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Istria, Bosnia and Republic of Ragusa.-General history of Croatian nobility:Croatian nobility titles mostly were granted by the kings of Croatia, later kings of Hungary-Croatia...
.
Indigenous nobility
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The Spaniards respected this system and added to it, resulting in many unions between Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
and Spanish nobility
Spanish nobility
Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy. A system of titles and honours of Spain and of the former kingdoms that constitute it comprise the Spanish nobility...
. Descendents of the elites of pre-Columbian Mexico who received these distinctions included the heirs of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
; That family became known as the Condes de Moctezuma, and later, the Duques of Moctezuma de Tultengo
Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo
Duke of Moctezuma de Tultengo is a hereditary title in the Spanish nobility held by a line of descendants of Emperor Moctezuma II, the ninth Tlatoani, or ruler, of Tenochtitlan. Since 1766 the title has been attached to a Grandeza de España, or a place in the Spanish peerage — the highest honor...
. The holders of the title, who still reside in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, became part of the Spanish peerage
Spanish nobility
Spanish nobles are persons who possess the legal status of hereditary nobility according to the laws and traditions of the Spanish monarchy. A system of titles and honours of Spain and of the former kingdoms that constitute it comprise the Spanish nobility...
in 1766 when they received a Grandeza. A branch of their family, on the female side, continued to receive an annual payment from the Mexican government in the amount of some 500 Ducats, gold, until 1938, as part of a contract signed in the 16th c. granting Mexico City access to water and lumber on family property.
Some families of pure Amerindian ancestry, such as the Mixtec
Mixtec
The Mixtec are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla in a region known as La Mixteca. The Mixtecan languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean language family....
Villagómez family
Villagómez family
The Villagómez family is a Mixtec noble family, who were among the largest landowners in New Spain, later Mexico. Despite being part of the colonial elite, the Villagómez retained their Mixtec identity, speaking the Mixtec language and keeping a collection of Mixtec codices.-References:...
, were among the richest landowners in New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
after the conquest of the Aztec empire. Despite being part of the colonial elite after the conquest, the Villagómez retained their Mixtec identity, speaking the Mixtec language and keeping a collection of Mixtec codices.
Numerous other Indigenous elites collaborated with the conquest, earning noble titles and privileges. Most notably, all the Tlaxcallans
Tlaxcaltec
The Tlaxcalteca were an indigenous group of Nahua ethnicity that inhabited the Kingdom of Tlaxcala located in what is now the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.-Pre-hispanic history:...
, who resettled into northern Mexico, became hidalgos
Hidalgo (Spanish nobility)
A hidalgo or fidalgo is a member of the Spanish and Portuguese nobility. In popular usage it has come to mean the non-titled nobility. Hidalgos were exempt from paying taxes, but did not necessarily own real property...
.
Titles in Viceregal Mexico and the First Mexican Empire
Families who received a título de Castilla during the Colonial period were the first to be granted European noble titles in New Spain (Mexico). One of the first was the ConquistadorConquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, who was granted the title of the Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca. Approximately 130 such titles were held by Spaniards born or resident in New Spain. Main centers of population included Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Morelia (Valladolid).
At independence, a few princely dignities were accorded the Imperial family's relations and three titles of nobility—the latter already under application with the Spanish government—were recognized by the Congress of the First Mexican Empire
First Mexican Empire
The Mexican Empire was the official name of independent Mexico under a monarchical regime from 1821 to 1823. The territory of the Mexican Empire included the continental intendencies and provinces of New Spain proper...
, such as the Marqués de Samaniego del Castillo. Knighthoods were also created, most notably, of Guadalupe. Over the nineteenth century, others received pontifical titles of nobility, and through loopholes in Spanish law, had these titles recognized as títulos de Castilla; these are known as títulos negros and include the titles of the marqués de Barrón, conde de Subervielle, conde del Valle (Fernández del Valle family), duquesa de Mier, and others. Many of these families were part of the hidalgo
Hidalgo (Spanish nobility)
A hidalgo or fidalgo is a member of the Spanish and Portuguese nobility. In popular usage it has come to mean the non-titled nobility. Hidalgos were exempt from paying taxes, but did not necessarily own real property...
class. Some families, after Mexican Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, received títulos de Castilla from the Spanish monarch directly, such as the duque de Regla and the duquesa de Prim, or indirectly, through marriage to individuals holding these titles, such as the duque de Castroterreño or the Escandón family members who subsequently became duques de Montellano, marqueses de Villavieja.
First Republic and the Second Mexican Empire
Many families received titles of nobility from the regencies and/or Congresses of the First or Second Empire. During the First Mexican Republic, after the end of the First Mexican Empire, many of the old families of the nobility lived as common citizens, but appended the prefix "ex-" to their titles, using them in their formal signatures, grave inscriptions, and portraits. Afterwards, during the Second Mexican EmpireSecond Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
, under Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the nobility was resurgent.
Some of these families granted titles during these periods were the Iturbides
House of Iturbide
The House of Iturbide is the former Imperial House of Mexico. It was founded by Agustín de Iturbide in 1822 when the newly independent Mexican congress confirmed his title of Agustín I, Constitutional Emperor of Mexico...
—whose Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
ancestors had been ennobled by King Juan II of Aragon
John II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
—, Samaniego del Castillos, and the Marquis de la Cadena.
List of titles of nobility in mexico
- Marques del Valle de Oaxaca 1529; Cortes
- Marques de Salinas de Río Pisuerga 1609; Altamirano de Velasco, Cervantes
- Conde de Santiago de Calimaya 1616; Altamirano de Velasco, Cervantes
- Marques de Villamayor de las Ibernías 1617; Pacheco
- Conde de Valle de Orizaba 1627; Rincón Gallardo
- Conde de Moctezuma 1627 G.E.; Moctezuma de la Cueva
- Marques de San Miguel de Aguayo 1683; Echevers
- Marques de Villar del Águila 1689; Urrutia
- Marques de Santa Fe de Guardiola 1691; Lopez de Peralta, Cervantes
- Marques de Altamira 1704; Sanchez de Tagle
- Marques de Sierra Nevada 1708 ; Ruiz de Tagle
- Marques de Salvatierra 1708; Cervantes
- Duque de Atrisco 1708 G.E ; Sarmiento, Romay-Sotomayor
- Marques de Villa Hermosa de Alfaro 1711; Rincon-Gallardo
- Conde de San Mateo de Valparaíso 1727; ?
- Marques de Acapulco 1728; de la Cerda
- Marques de las Salinas 1733 ; Pérez de Tagle
- Conde de Revillagigedo 1749; Revillagigedo
- Marques de Rivascacho 1764; Cervantes
- Conde de Regla 1768; Romero de Terreros, Rincon-Gallardo
- Marques del Apartado 1772; Fagoaga, Campero
- Conde de la Presa de Jalpa 1775; Cervantes
- Marques de San Cristobal 1777; Romero de Terreros, Rincon-Gallardo
- Marques de San Francisco 1777; Romero de Terreros
- Conde de Heras-Soto 1811; Heras-Soto
Modern Period
During the Porfiriato, members of the Mexican aristocracy were very active in politics. Prince Agustín de Iturbide y GreenAgustín de Iturbide y Green
Don Agustín de Iturbide y Green, Prince of Iturbide was the grandson of Agustín de Iturbide, the first emperor of independent Mexico, and his consort Empress Ana María...
, Maximilian's adopted son, was prompted by reactionaries into making public pronouncements against Díaz, who promptly exiled him after he served a brief sentence given him by a martial court . Don Agustín died in exile in the U.S., where he was a Spanish professor at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
. Members of the Rincón Gallardo, Fagoaga, and Pimentel families (marqués de Guadalupe, marqués del Apartado and conde de Heras Soto) were active in Mexico City government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senate, the armed forces, and the Academia de la Lengua or the Sociedad de Geografía e Historia. Many journeyed and lived abroad, often doing so in Paris, London, and Madrid. Most men studied at the Jesuit-run British public school, Stonyhurst College.
Around 1902, Don Ricardo Ortega y Pérez Gallardo, Mexico’s unofficial King of Arms
King of Arms
King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings. In other traditions, the power has been delegated to other officers of similar rank.-Heraldic duties:...
, commenced work on a project to prepare an encyclopedic repertoire of Mexico's aristocracy. The resulting Historia genealógica de las familias más antiguas de México (Genealogical History of the Oldest Families of Mexico), an Almanach de Gotha
Almanach de Gotha
The Almanach de Gotha was a respected directory of Europe's highest nobility and royalty. First published in 1763 by C.W. Ettinger in Gotha at the ducal court of Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, it was regarded as an authority in the classification of monarchies, princely and ducal...
of sorts, listed the histories of a select group of families residing in Mexico who held Habsburg, Bourbon, Mexican, and Pontifical titles and patents of nobility, entailments, and knighthoods; it also listed notables who had accepted honors from foreign sovereigns and republics.
After the revolution, the nobility migrated to Mexico City in large numbers; many entered the professional and educated classes. A number found employment in the diplomatic service, arts and letters, public relations, and transnational corporations. A number of European nobles, bankrupted by the wars, resettled and intermarried in Mexico from the 1940s on, including the King of Romania. Art history and antiquities attracted many, such as the Marqués de San Francisco, don Manuel Romero de Terreros, among others. Monarchists organized masses for the repose of Maximilian well into the 20th century at the Church of La Profesa
Temple of San Felipe Neri "La Profesa"
The Temple of San Felipe Neri, commonly known as "La Profesa" , is a Roman Catholic parish church that was established by the Society of Jesus late in the 16th century as the church of a community of professed Jesuits...
, and were kept under surveillance by the Ministry of the Interior. During Charles de Gaulle's state visit to Mexico, many turned out for the receptions. Many of them greeted the arrival of the Royal Family in 1977—the first such visit in Mexico's history—and purportedly feuded over the order of precedence at receptions. Pontifical orders of knighthood, as well as Independent orders, such as Malta, have chapters in Mexico. The most numerous is the Orden del Santo Sepulcro de Jerusalén
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
with nearly 200 members organized into three chapters (Chihuahua, Guadalajara, and Mexico City).
Wealthy Mexican families have attempted to obtain titles of nobility from Spain since the 1980s, when relations were re-established, but ran afoul of the law. The appeal of and fascination with the nobility in Mexico, without a doubt, has not subsided. Countless soap operas, novels, films, museum exhibits, and websites are devoted to the topic.
See also
- Mexican heraldryMexican heraldryMexican heraldry , has no precise rules, because its evolution has been according to the ideas and prevailing customs of every time of its history.-Mexico:...
- Mexican Academy of Genealogy and HeraldryAcademia Mexicana de Genealogía y HeráldicaThe Academia Mexicana de Genealogía y Heráldica is a cultural institution based in Mexico City, Mexico...
- House of IturbideHouse of IturbideThe House of Iturbide is the former Imperial House of Mexico. It was founded by Agustín de Iturbide in 1822 when the newly independent Mexican congress confirmed his title of Agustín I, Constitutional Emperor of Mexico...
- Villagómez familyVillagómez familyThe Villagómez family is a Mixtec noble family, who were among the largest landowners in New Spain, later Mexico. Despite being part of the colonial elite, the Villagómez retained their Mixtec identity, speaking the Mixtec language and keeping a collection of Mixtec codices.-References:...
- Martínez del RíoMartinez del Rio-The Martinez del Rio Family:The Martinez del Rio family is one of the leading patrician families, prominent in entrepreneurship and cultural circles. The family has helped to shape Mexico's politics, economy and society from the time of Mexican independence from Spain, until the present day...
family - First Mexican EmpireFirst Mexican EmpireThe Mexican Empire was the official name of independent Mexico under a monarchical regime from 1821 to 1823. The territory of the Mexican Empire included the continental intendencies and provinces of New Spain proper...
- Second Mexican EmpireSecond Mexican EmpireThe Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
External links
- Ladd, Doris M., The Mexican Nobility at Independence, 1780-1826. Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas, 1976.
- Lopez De La Cadena, Alberto Homero, http://www.cryptojews.com/Our_Secret_Heritage.htm
- Fernández de Recas, Guillermo S. Cacicazgos y Nobiliario Indígena de la Nueva España' (Indian Chiefs and Nobility of New Spain). México, D.F.: Instituto Bibliográfico Mexicano, 196l. (FHL book 972 F3f.)
- Macias-González, Victor M. "The Mexican Aristocracy in the Porfirian Foreign Service." Book Manuscript Summary, available online at: http://www.lclark.edu/~tepo/Papers/macias.pdf
- Muñoz Altea, Fernando. Blasones y Apellidos (Coats of Arms and Noble surnames). México: Joaquín Porrúa, S.A. de C.V., 1987. (FHL book 972 D6m.)
- Ortega y Pérez Gallardo, Ricardo. Historia Genealógica de las Familias más Antiguas de México (Genealogical History of the Oldest Families of Mexico). Austin, Texas: Golightly-Payne-Coon Company, 1957. (FHL films 0283555–0283556.)