Creel-Terrazas family
Encyclopedia
The Creel-Terrazas family is a powerful and wealthy family based in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
During the rule of President Porfirio Díaz
and the Mexican Revolution
, this family was part of the científico faction. The científico
s 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 horse
s and 5,000 mule
s. Encinillas, north of the state capital of Chihuahua, Chih.
, was the largest hacienda
occupying an area of 1,300,000 acres (5,300 km²). It employed some 2,000 peon
s.
The wealth of the family is evident by simply examining the various properties in the city of Chihuahua that were owned by the clan at the outbreak of the revolution in 1910: the Casa Creel on Aldama, the Residencia 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.
After the Revolution, the Creel-Terrazas Family extended to include other families that immigrated from Chile, Argentina, and Poland.
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
.
Events
During the rule of President Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
and the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, this family was part of the científico faction. The científico
Científico
The Científicos were a circle of technocratic advisors to President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz....
s 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
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, 225,000 sheep, 25,000 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and 5,000 mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s. Encinillas, north of the state capital of Chihuahua, Chih.
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
, was the largest hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
occupying an area of 1,300,000 acres (5,300 km²). It employed some 2,000 peon
Peon
The words peon and peonage are derived from the Spanish peón . It has a range of meanings but its primary usage is to describe laborers with little control over their employment conditions.-English usage:...
s.
The wealth of the family is evident by simply examining the various properties in the city of Chihuahua that were owned by the clan at the outbreak of the revolution in 1910: the Casa Creel on Aldama, the Residencia 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.
Media
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."After the Revolution, the Creel-Terrazas Family extended to include other families that immigrated from Chile, Argentina, and Poland.
Family
Some noteworthy members of the family are:- DonDon (honorific)Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Luis TerrazasLuis TerrazasLuis Terrazas, born José Luis Gonzaga Jesús Daniel Terrazas Fuentes , was a Mexican politician, businessman, rancher and soldier. He was a pivotal figure in the history of the state of Chihuahua from the middle of the 19th century through the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution...
(1829–1923), founder of the clan. Elected Governor of ChihuahuaGovernor of ChihuahuaAccording to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen for a period of six years and cannot for any reason...
in 1860, host, political ally and confidant of President Benito JuárezBenito JuárezBenito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
during the French Intervention. 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 VillaPancho VillaJosé Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
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 CreelEnrique CreelEnrique Clay Creel Cuilty, sometimes known as Henry Clay Creel was a Mexican businessman and politician member of the powerful Creel-Terrazas family of Chihuahua...
(1854–1931): PorfirianPorfirio DíazJosé de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
Governor of ChihuahuaGovernor of ChihuahuaAccording to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen for a period of six years and cannot for any reason...
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 RelationsSecretary of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)In Mexico, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs is a member of the federal executive cabinet with responsibility for implementing the country's foreign policy. The secretary is appointed by the President of the Republic and heads the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs ...
and as its AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He served as interpreter when Presidents Porfirio DíazPorfirio DíazJosé de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
and William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
met in 1909 on the international bridge between Ciudad JuárezCiudad JuárezCiudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
and El PasoEl Paso, TexasEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. He became vice-president of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient RailwayKansas City, Mexico and Orient RailwayThe Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobampo, Sinaloa...
, where he was responsible for the construction of part of the railroad west of the city of ChihuahuaChihuahua, ChihuahuaThe city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
. His haciendaHaciendaHacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
s totalled 1.7 million acres (6,900 km²).
- DonDon (honorific)Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Silvestre Terrazas (1873–1944), a distant cousin of Luis Terrazas, publisher of the newspaper El Correo de Chihuahua(The Chihuahua Mail), political nemesis of Enrique Creel, and revolutionary Governor of ChihuahuaGovernor of ChihuahuaAccording to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen for a period of six years and cannot for any reason...
, serving two terms of office. More information is available at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf2q2n99qr.
- Juan Terrazas Cuilty (1852–1925), a son of Luis Terrazas and Carolina Cuilty(1833–1919), businessman and industrialist. He established powerful financial interests in Monterrey companies that are today Vitro, S.A. and Grupo Cemex. His descendants still enjoy considerable interests in these prominent Mexican firms.:es:Juan Terrazas Cuilty
- Alberto Terrazas Cuilty (1869–1926), a son of Luis Terrazas and Carolina Cuilty, served as Governor of ChihuahuaGovernor of ChihuahuaAccording to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, Executive Power in that Mexican state resides with a single individual, the Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua, who is chosen for a period of six years and cannot for any reason...
from 1910-11. Industrialist, businessman, banker and appointed colonel in the army by Gen. Victoriano HuertaVictoriano HuertaJosé Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
, he fought against Villa and remained in Chihuahua until 1914 when he was badly wounded in the Revolution, then moved to El Paso, TX.
- Santiago Creel Miranda was the Minister of the Interior (Secretario de Gobernación) of MexicoMexicoThe 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...
from 2000 to 2005, representing the conservative PANNational Action Party (Mexico)The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
party. On June 1, 2005, he presented his resignation to PresidentPresident of MexicoThe President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Vicente FoxVicente FoxVicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
to (unsuccessfully) seek his party's presidential nomination. He is a leading figure in the Mexican Senate.
- Gustavo Madero MuñozGustavo Madero MuñozGustavo Enrique Madero Muñoz is a Mexican politician and businessman, great-nephew of the president Francisco I. Madero...
(born 1955), a great-grandson of Juan Terrazas Cuilty, is a current PAN Senator from Chihuahua and currently is president of the Federal Senate in Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and president of PAN.
- Federico Terrazas Torres is the chairman of Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua(CCG)http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/board.asp?ric=GCC.MX, one of the largest concrete makers/distributors in Mexico with subsidiaries in the United States (interestingly, CCG also has four other members of the family on its board of directors)http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/board.asp?ric=GCC.MX. Member of the board of various other Mexican companies, he is also the President of Directory Advisory Board of Higher Education of Chihuahua, Misiones Coloniales de Chihuahua, A.C., Promotora Cultural de Chihuahua, A.C., and Promotora de la Cultura Mexicana, A.C. Terrazas is a graduate of the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM) with a degree in Public Accounting.
- Enrique Terrazas Torres, a brother of Federico, is president of Grupo Ruba and Copachisa and a director of various other Mexican enterprises, including Cementos de Chihuahua http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/board.asp?ric=GCC.MX, and the former Director of the state Economic Development Department http://www.nmsu.edu/~frontera/old_1998/apr98/498pol~1.htm. He holds degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor and Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
- Jaime Creel Sisniega is president and chairman of the board of Intermex Industrial Parks, one of the largest firms of its kind in the Republic.http://www.intermex.com/html/corp_boardAdministration.html
- Aurelio Major is a poet, translator and editor. He was editorial director of Octavio Paz's Editorial Vuelta, and of Tusquets Editores, among other publishers in Mexico and Barcelona, and is currently co-founding editor of the Spanish language edition of Granta magazine and editorial consultant for several European publishing groups. He has translated the work of George Oppen, Michael Hamburger, Charles Tomlinson, and as of late, Basil Bunting (Lumen, Barcelona, 2004), among other poets and essayists. His edition, with an introduction, to Edmund Wilson's Selected Writings was published in 2008 (Lumen, Barcelona). He is also the Spanish translator of Susan Sontag's work since 2002. He is grandson of Genoveva Terrazas Falomir.
Members of the Creel-Terrazas extended family have served for a total of 67 terms in Chihuahua's state legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, and 23 terms in the Congress of Mexico
Congress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
.
See also
- Mexican RevolutionMexican RevolutionThe Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
- Chihuahua City
- http://omega.ilce.edu.mx:3000/sites/estados/libros/chihua/html/sec_36.html (Regarding history of the clan in early 20th Century. Site in Spanish)
- http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=tf2q2n99qr&chunk.id=bioghist-1.3.5&query=BANC%20MSS%20M-B%2018&brand=oac (A biography of Silvestre Terrazas. Site in English)