The History of Hacienda Riquelme

The History Of Hacienda Riquelme By J. A. Barr

“Towards the end of the 19th century, what is today one of the most impressive dry-land agricultural estates that exists in the extensive plain located between Puerto de la Cadena and the Mar Menor was constructed. This is Hacienda Riquelme, a rural mansion built in approximately 1857.” [1]

“Since the 18th century, large rainfed agricultural estates have been created...where small rural-type nuclei were built with buildings dedicated to covering the services and production of the estate. One of these unique estates is Hacienda Riquelme.” [2]

Hacienda Riquelme - before renovation

Hacienda Riquelme - after renovation

“Riquelme, as were Peraleja or Borrambas, was an architectural example of a selfsufficient productive model. Small nuclei of life that were self-contained, and in which lived, as was the case, between ten and twelve families that were modifying and adding spaces according to their needs of life.” [3]

“The hacienda followed the lines of the great Roman agricultural constructions, designed around a large rectangular central courtyard, where the homes of the workers, the corrals, the oil mill, and the main house of the owners of the estate - in this case the Riquelme family - which was expanded and completed according to its needs.” [2]

Hacienda Riquelme courtyard - during renovation

Hacienda Riquelme courtyard - after renovation

An early owner of Hacienda Riquelme was “the illustrious Murcian, Jesualdo Riquelme y Fontes, “this “refined” man, a lover of the beautiful, but also of fashion, was also the owner of a good collection of fans, paintings (almost all on Marian themes), and sculptures, which accompanied the Riquelme's in their mansion, which are all missing today...a patron of the arts, especially of music, which is confirmed by the presence of various musical instruments amongst his possessions, with which he delighted his visitors.” [4]

“The main building [of Hacienda Riquelme] is the manor house, or “Casón.” This traditional manor house is thought to have been commissioned and built [in its current layout] at the end of the 18th century, or the first half of the 19th century, by Antonio Riquelme y Fontes (+ 1843), whose family and descendants managed the Riquelme estate for many years after. It has been extended over the years and a second floor added.” [5]

Hacienda Riquelme gardens - before renovation

Hacienda Riquelme gardens - after renovation

The Rise of the Riquelme Family

From the beginning of the 18th century, “the lineage of the Riquelme's would adopt a strategy of upward mobility through their link [with the Fontes - Pacheco house], thereby reinforcing their strength and power to act as part of the ruling elite.” [6]

“The “new” alliance between the Riquelme and Fontes' families is presented in a context; the regrouping of the noble oligarchy back in the second half of the 18th century in order to reinforce its presence within the ruling elite.” [6]

Hacienda Riquelme terrace - before renovation

Hacienda Riquelme terrace - after renovation

“Antonio Riquelme y Fontes (+1843), is thought to have commissioned the construction of Hacienda Riquelme at the end of the 18th century or the first half of the 19th. His son, Antonio Riquelme y Arce, I Marquis of Almenas, inherited it and improved its appearance with a garden in the style of the suburban estates of the mid-19th century.” [7]

He “renamed Hacienda de Riquelme, formerly known as La Peraleja, located in the Sucina district of Murcia, of almost five hundred hectares, the majority of it being olive groves.” [8]

“And, thus, the Riquelme mansion would continue to be, in the 19th century, a place of meeting and sociability, as it was in the past, with musical evenings being held there.” [9]

El Casón de Riquelme stairs - during and after renovation

There were “different strategies of perpetuation and reproduction carried out by the Riquelme lineage in the 19th century.” [10]

“Lineages of great prestige in the Murcian oligarchy, as is the case of the Riquelme and Fontes, would carry out strategic marriage alliances whose clear aim was to occupy and “take over” the main senior positions in the Regidurías (Council) with the intention to perpetuate itself within the political sphere by extension into the economic and social.” [11]

“The Riquelme's became an integral part of the Murcian oligarchy: they kept evolving and adapting through social and political strategies to new circumstances and social contexts with the aim of permanently staying in different power institutions for long periods.” [12]

Thereby, the Riquelme family developed into “one of the noble families, most important in Murcia, and with greater roots within the local oligarchy ” [6]

For example, “María Teresa Riquelme y Arce married Rafael de Bustos y Castilla-Portugal, VIII Marquis of Corvera, in 1833.” [8] Thereby, joining the “economic and social importance of the Bustos family, and its associates, in the future of the region [of Murcia] itself.” [13]

Likewise, “In 1860, Antonio Riquelme y Arce received a title of Castile under the rank of Marquis de las Almenas, a grant that was the culmination of a long process of ennoblement initiated by their ancestors centuries ago and also an unexpected epilogue to the story of his family.” [8]

This was a Spanish noble title created by Queen Isabel II of Spain on 6th July 1860. [14]

“During the 19th century, houses and estates used to carry initials standing for the name of the sponsor and the date of building. You can see, in this iron gate in the southern access to the garden of Hacienda Riquelme, the initials “ARA” (Antonio Riquelme y Arce) and (1)857.” [7]

“On the iron gate in the western access to the garden, the initials “RBR” stand for Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana.” [7]

The Origins of the Riquelme's in Murcia

In the second half of the 19th century, when the second storey was added to the Hacienda Riquelme manor house, a tower was built displaying heraldic coats of arms on two sides of the façades of the building, giving the building the grandeur it still enjoys today.

Coat of arms on the southern façade of El Casón de Riquelme

Representing the noble warrior Guillén Riquelme, the Riquelme coat of arms on the southern façade of El Casón de Riquelme displays the ornamental figures that identifies and distinguishes the lineage of the Riquelme family in Murcia.

“The emblem of the Riquelme is composed of gules (a red) field in which a helmet stands out with an arm that has the cimero plumes on the top. The headpiece, a symbol of defence, appears as a weapon that covers the head that represents life. The rest of the shield corroborates the merit of his family. The helmet symbolises the defence of life since it is the component of war-like apparel that protects the head. To cover the head with the helmet is to defend life through weapons. Feathers were added according to merit.” [15]

“In February 1244, the Infante Don Alfonso [later to be King Alfonso X, El Sabio (the Wise)] returned to the lands of Murcia” resulting in “a continued growing Christian demographic and Muslim emigration...and a greater occupation of the Muslim spaces.” [15]

“

Guillén Riquelme became the glorious forefather of the Riquelme lineage - his participation in the Castilian conquest of the kingdom of Murcia came to be the main form of validation and a source of honour and prestige for the lineage. He entered victorious [and conquering] into that city...and he was designated heir in it, amongst 323 illustrious other knights and settlers as it is shown in that book by King Alfonso X El Sabio (on page 4)...and he received lands as it is shown in his archives and population books.” [12]

“The Riquelme Manuscripts mentions that the origin of the surname “Riquelme” comes from the great Kingdom of France from the house of the Monforts, lords and counts of Tolosa. Coming from the castle of Rodelas (city of Rochela), they came to the aid of King Pelayo, rich men from France and Germany, including Guillén de Monfort.” [17]

"The origin of the Riquelme family in Murcia is dated in the Riquelme manuscript of 1265, the year of the conquest of Murcia...He appears as one of the main settlers of the city of Murcia, and also the one, amongst other Riquelme family members, who received more land from the king of Castile, Alfonso X El Sabio. In reward for his participation, he became the first knight of the Riquelme family to hold a position in office. He was a regidor (civic council member) of Murcia.” [12]

“When Alfonso XI called for a reconquest [of south Spain] was reactivated, it was the right time for the Riquelme's to start consolidating and building their power through war.” [12]

“The actions that the Riquelme family pursued in the last third of the 13th century to become part of the troops to conquer the kingdom of Murcia were in perfect alignment with the Castilian monarchy’s reconquest campaign. The Riquelme's would later settle in the kingdom after receiving the donación (donation) of lands and heredamientos (inheritances) that the crown provided in return for their services rendered during the conquest campaigns.” [12]

"The Riquelme lineage was a typical case of an outsider family that permanently settled in the kingdom of Murcia during the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula. They were part of a larger group of the peninsula’s Christian population that moved to the Murcian territory seeking easy riches and a comfortable way of life. Nevertheless, there were limits to their aims to increase their family wealth and estate. Among the difficulties that the new settlers faced and that truly hindered their socioeconomic development were the scarcity of land given, lack of resources to exploit their properties, the limited productivity of the land and the lack of water.” [12]

“The Riquelme family accumulated an extensive estate that over the years, and especially at the threshold of the 16th century, placed them amongst the Murcian landowning nobility.” [12]

Heraldic coat of arms of the Riquelme's

The Decline of Hacienda Riquelme

“The Second [Spanish] Republic was proclaimed in 1931 and the Civil War broke out in 1936. Los Riquelme, or La Hacienda Riquelme, was expropriated by the government...there was no bloodshed for political reasons.

In addition, taking advantage of their location, away from the front, several people hid there, some for many months, to avoid participating in the conflict and to save their lives.” [7]

Hacienda Riquelme “passed during the war into the hands of the Republican government, to be later returned to its legitimate owners, who at that time was Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana, Duke of Pastrana and related to the Count of Romanones.

In any case, the estate went from being a family residence to becoming a recreational residence.” [18]

El Casón de Riquelme - before renovation

El Casón de Riquelme – after renovation

“In the [coming] years, Hacienda Riquelme was used by its owners for recreation. It was usually visited only from time to time in the summertime and sometimes at Christmas.”

“The main house of the Riquelme estate, formerly known as La Peraleja; the family's summer retreat, which at the beginning of the 20th century was already owned by the Bustos's. This luxurious house, located in a country setting, was conducive to rest.”

El Casón de Riquelme garden entrance - before renovation

El Casón de Riquelme garden entrance - after renovation

“The olive tree, a traditional crop in Mediterranean Spain, has seen its extension decrease considerably during the second half of the 20th century. In the Region of Murcia during this period, the olive grove area was reduced to a quarter of that occupied in 1950.” [20]

Indeed, the demise of Hacienda Riquelme can be shown by its olive oil mill, which was in operation in the 1950's, is registered in the files of the “Delegación de Industria” (Industry Delegation). Yet, reference to this olive oil mill was not made in the 1960's register. [21]

Similarly, “those years saw also the decline of Sucina that, especially from the 1960s, experienced a major fall in population of almost 50%.” [7] “Especially since the 1960s, the hamlet [of Sucina] has seen its population progressively decrease, and thus, from the 1,714 inhabitants registered in 1960, it went to 1,005 in 1970 and to 985 in 1991.” [22]

“The Tagus-Segura distribution canals were built between 1968 and 1978. It is said that one branch was planned to pass through the Columbares sierra, but several local landowners, including the Count of Mayalde [the then owner of Hacienda Riquelme], used their influence in Madrid to change the project. They got the distribution canals not to enter their lands, thus avoiding partial expropriations, the hassle of works and other easements. They [incorrectly] thought the new technologies available in those years to open wells and extract water at great depths, were going to be enough to improve the estates.” [7]

El Casón de Riquelme gates leading to the gardens - before and after renovation

“But the truth is that the value of these lands plummeted compared to the irrigated lands benefited by the “postravase [water distribution canal network]. The former were now very difficult to make profitable, unless large investments were made.”

El Casón de Riquelme terrace - after renovation

“In the absence of technical advances and economic possibilities such as...in the [Murcia] region, the dichotomy is between rain-fed and irrigated landscapes, water always introduces the enormous differences that imply the availability of sufficient water for cultivation or, only the insufficient and irregular rainfall, which characterize the rainfall in the south-east [of Spain].”

“Farmers who have not been able to invest in drip irrigation for their irrigated plots have been very exposed to abandonment due to the difficulty of making their activity profitable, especially in traditional crops.”

El Casón de Riquelme terrace - before renovation

Renovation of Hacienda Riquelme

“In the first decade of the 21st century, Polaris World bought the estate and began to build the large urbanisation that is today Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort. Between 2009 and 2010, after a thorough historical and archaeological study and a constructive analysis of the buildings and garden, Polaris World undertook the restoration and rehabilitation work of the catalogued complex, recovering for its use, El Casón de Riquelme.” [7]

“The building has undergone a rehabilitation process - led by the architects Jesús López, Javier Fernández, Iván Martínez and Jose Manuel Chacón - that has lasted almost two years, but the waiting time has been worth it. The rural construction retains its essence of yesteryear, although it now has the necessary services for its new uses, such as changing rooms, cafeteria, restaurant and play area.” [1]

“The exterior elements of the building, such as the courtyard and the accesses, have been rebuilt with materials that respect the historical character of the construction, providing it with the facilities and lighting that make its new use possible and highlight the values of the building.” [1]

El Casón de Riquelme Restaurant - before renovation

El Casón de Riquelme Restaurant - after renovation

“In addition, the courtyard becomes the centre of the complex, from where all services are accessed, and a reconstruction of the original marble fountain that had been destroyed has been located in it.” [2]

“The rehabilitation process has been especially careful with all the existing elements and those original pieces that maintained a good state of conservation have been maintained, such as doors, slabs, woods, locksmiths, tiles, windows or balustrades. The main garden, the fence and the access doors, the cisterns, the laundry room and the dovecote have been the key elements that have integrated the recovery of this architectural complex of 2,122 square meters of rehabilitated construction.” [2]

“The secondary buildings, which were of the worst quality and those that were in the worst condition, have been consolidated or rebuilt and, in addition, both the oil mill and the main house have been rehabilitated. Thus, El Casón has been recovered by emptying the interior partition and restoring the structure, the facades, the carpentry, the trusses, the staircase, the locksmiths...and maintaining the noblest and most significant elements that give character to the whole.” [2]

The outside of El Casón - before renovation

The outside of El Casón - after renovation

“

“

In addition to the architectural complex - categorised with a Grade II listing for its historical artistic interest - Hacienda Riquelme stands out for its large front door planted with palm trees and Mediterranean trees, which is accessed by two locksmith doors.” [1]

“And all this, through a rehabilitation especially respectful of what already exists and with which Polaris World has managed to recover for the area a great rural construction to which providing it with new uses offers a future.” [1]

Now, the property that was once a large rural estate between Murcia and the Mar Menor, has become a modern and luxury house especially for lovers of sports and relaxation.” [2]

El Palomar - during renovation

El Palomar - after renovation

“Opened in 2007, Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort is located in a pretty, rural, location in open countryside, between the village of Sucina and the mountains of Sierra de Carrascoy - an area which has been designated a regional natural park - in the Region of Murcia, in Spain. Yet it is just twenty minutes from the beach and airport. The buildings keep the charm of the area alive, such as the manor house, now fully restored as a clubhouse and town centre. The apartments look out over the Nicklaus designed golf course and retain the colonial style of the Riquelme family constructions. The family-friendly resort has wide, open spaces designed to give a sense of space, peace, and tranquillity.” [25]

All this “helps to fuse the modern facilities with the historical past.” [26]

“The El Casón de Riquelme Restauran and Bar...having seating inside and an outside terrace area, which looks out over the original walled gardens. Pleasant surroundings make this restaurant the ideal setting to dine or just unwind with a refreshing drink, whilst watching spectacular sunsets over the mountains. It provides a relaxed dining experience, making it a great place to eat and drink with a family-friendly atmosphere, all year round. Enjoy the perfect delicious meal at the restaurant, which offers a variety of dishes, including the special sea-food paella, classic British favourites & Spanish tapas, all made with the best local ingredients.” [27]

“The bar is the perfect place to socialise and have a drink after your game. Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and a wide variety of both local and international drinks throughout the day. The family-friendly atmosphere at the bar makes it a great place to sip cocktails in good company, share conversation and laughter, and discover the magical summer nights on the terrace.” [27]

“Hacienda Riquelme is a cleverly structured Nicklaus Design 18 hole, par 72 links-styled parkland golf course with no two holes the same. The golf course offers a different challenge to the other courses on the GNK Golf Circuit. Hacienda Riquelme has been built to championship standards with shots made difficult by undulating fairways, bunker hazards, wild grass, olive trees and large lakes.” [28]

“Now, the property that was once a large rural estate between Murcia and the Mar Menor has become a modern, luxury mansion especially for lovers of sport and relaxation.” [2]

Name of the Former Owner of Hacienda Riquelme

BirthDeath Relationship With Previous Owner Spouse

BirthDeath Jesualdo Riquelme y Fontes, Señor de Guadalupe [12]

17131789 Son

Antonio Riquelme y Fontes, Señor de Guadalupe [9] circa 17651843 Son

Antonio Riquelme y Arce, I Marquis de las Almenas 18331861 Son

María Teresa Riquelme y Arce, III Marquesa de las Almenas Grandee of Spain [19]

18131878 Sister

Rafael de Bustos y Riquelme circa 1839circa 1894 Son

María de los Dolores de Bustos y Riquelme 18401907 Sister

Alfonso de Bustos y Bustos, IV Marquis de las Almenas

XIII Duke de Pastrana

IX Marquis de Corvera Grandee of Spain [33]

José Alfonso de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana,

X Marquis de Corvera

XI Vicount de Rías

II Duke de Andría

Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana, XV Duke de Pastrana

XII Marquis de Salinas del Rio Pisuerga

Casilda de Bustos y Figueroa,

V Marquesa de las Almenas

XI Marquesa de Corvera

XVI Duchess de Pastrana

XX Marquesa de Campotéja

XIV Marquesa de Salinas del Río Pisuerga

XVII Countess de Oliveto

Fernando Finat y de Bustos, VI Marquis de las Almenas

XV Marquis of Salinas del Río Pisuerga

18611928 Son

1st wife: Isabel María Abat y Ulloa (widowed) [12] circa 17351786

2nd wife: María Concepción Fontes y Riquelme (niece) [12] circa 1745 circa 1790

Josefa de Arce y Núñez Flóres, II Marquesa de las Almenas 17911865

Rafael de Bustos y CastillaPortugal, VIII Marquis de Corvera

18071893

José de Bustos y Castilla, X Viscount de Rías 18231896

María Isabel Luisa Ruiz de Arana y Osorio de Moscoso, XVI Countess de Oliveto XXII Countess de Nieve

18831940 Son

18851943 Brother

19102000 Daughter

1936present day

Son

18651936

1st wife: María Teresa Natividad Perinat y Terry (widowed) [8] 18661918

2nd wife: Blanca de Alzola y González de Castejón, I Marquesa de Yurreta y Gamboa

Casilda Ana Figueroa y AlonsoMartínez, Lady to the Queen [35] Lady of the Royal Maestranza of Cavalry of Granada [35]

José María de la Blanca Finat y Escrivá de Romani, XVI Count de Mayalde

XIV Marquis de Terranova

XIV Count de Villaflor

III Count de Finat Knight of the Royal Corps of the Nobility of Madrid [35]

María Cecilia Walford Hawkins de Borbón, V Duchess of Ánsola Grandee of Spain [35]

circa 1887 1962

18851983

1904 1995

1940present day

On three occasions (Antonio Riquelme y Arce, Rafael de Bustos y Riquelme, and José Alfonso de Bustos Ruiz de Arana), the owner of Hacienda Riquelme had no successor, so the estate was inherited by a brother or sister.

.



Jesualdo Riquelme y Fontes (31.03.1713 - Murcia, 29.09.1789); son of Joachín Riquelme y Thogoresson. “In December 1775, the marriage contract was signed between Jesualdo and Isabel María Abad y Ulloa (c. 1735 - 14.03.1786), who died having given birth to several children, under the will that her husband made by proxy on 06.03.1786.” [8]

“María de la Concepción [Fontes y Riquelme] (c. 1745 - c. 1790) would marry her uncle Jesualdo Riquelme y Fontes in 1786, thus continuing the inbreeding that had already caused serious handicaps to the patrician offspring.” [29]

“An enlightened possessor of culture, typical of the generation of aristocrats born in the mid-18th century...Jesualdo Riquelme, Lord of Guadalupe, was aware of the importance of appearances and took care of his own and his family's appearance.” [30]

“A rich and educated local nobleman...a wealthy and cultured client of the local nobility.” [31]

“Salzillo, in the 18th century, made the great work, the Belén (Bethlehem nativity scene), of great sculptural value, for Jesualdo.” [32] “with new details on successive Christmases.” [30]

 Antonio Riquelme y Fontes (Murcia, c. 1765 - San Javier, 10.10.1843), “the only surviving son of Concepción Fontes and Jesualdo Riquelme;” [30] “a descendant of an ancient lineage related to the cream of Murcian aristocracy.” [9] He “married in Chinchilla de Monte de Aragon on 06.07.1813 to Josefa de Arce y Núñez-Flores, who later adopted the name of Josefa Arce de Riquelme, with whom he had four children Josefa, José Jesualdo, who died shortly after birth, Antonio, the main heir and successor, and María Teresa.” [8]

“At the age of ten, he received an immense patrimony formed by the señor (lordship) of Guadalupe.” [9]

“As a member and heir to the Riquelme lineage, little Antonio would receive training appropriate to his position, with studies of grammar, Latin, humanities, and, of course, the French language.” [9]

“After six years of struggles and hardships, the Spanish victory achieved the expulsion of the French army with the contribution of the Murcia and Lorca regiments integrated into the Levante army. Precisely, a very young Antonio Riquelme y Fontes would actively participate as second lieutenant of the Murcia Regiment.” [9]

“The young Antonio Riquelme Fontes, of the Murcian nobility, had just endured seven months in a jail in which he was in danger of death...[when he was] taken to Cartagena and deposited in the dungeons of the Arsenal.” [9]

“Antonio Riquelme y Fontes was one of the main oligarchs of his time in the Murcian capital. In 1820, he was already a retired second lieutenant with military jurisdiction.” [8]

 Antonio Riquelme y Arce (c. 1833 - 18.11.1861), I Marquis de las Almenas (06.07.1860 - 18.11.1861), son of Antonio Riquelme y Fontes. “The death of Antonio Riquelme y Arce, without a successor, meant that the title [of the Marquisate de las Almenas] fell to his mother.” [8]

"On 11.11.1861, he was succeeded by his mother, Josefa de Arce Núñez-Flores [as II Marquesa de las Almenas].” [14]



Josefa de Arce y Núñez-Flores (Chinchilla, 1791 - Murcia, 04.04.1865),

II Marquesa de las Almenas (18.11.1861 - 23.10.1865). “After a while, she obtained the appointment of Dane of the Order of of Queen María Luisa” [9] “from 19.11.1862” [33]

“Doña Josefa, who, despite her high social position, looked after the finances of her home, the health of her family and the proper education of her children.” [9]

“On 23.10.1865, she was succeeded by her daughter, María Teresa Riquelme y Arce [as III Marquesa de las Almenas].” [14]



María Teresa de Riquelme y Arce (Murcia, 1813 - Murcia, 04.12.1878), III Marquesa de las Almenas (23.10.1865 - 09.10.1880), daughter of Antonio Riquelme y Fontes, “Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa from 26.11.1856,” [33] “who, unexpectedly, was the only heir of the family due to the extinction of the male lineage.” [19] “Married in 1833 to Rafael de Bustos y Castilla-Portugal (Huéscar, (28.04.1807 - Archena, 16.03.1894),” [8] “heir to a considerable estate in Murcia in 1844 and 1865 after the deaths of her parents.” [8]

“Thanks to King Alfonso XII, he became a Grandee of Spain in 1875 in recognition of the aid lent by Huéscar to Bourbon in regaining the throne. He became the lawyer from the University de Alcalá de Henares, Minister of Public Works for Isabel II, senator for life for Murcia, Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece...and was undoubtedly a key figure in the Restoration and one of the most influential people of Spain's south-east.” [13]

“On 09.10.1880, she was succeed by her grandson, Alfonso de Bustos y Bustos [as IV Marquis de las Almenas].” [14]

 Rafael de Bustos y Riquelme (c. 1839 - c. 1894), son of María Teresa Riquelme y Arce, “deceased without heir before his parents.” [8]

 María de los Dolores de Bustos y Riquelme (Murcia, 17.12.1840 - 1907), daughter of Mária Teresa Riquelme y Arce, Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa, “wife of José de Bustos y Castilla Portugal (Huéscar, 1823 - Archena, 12.04.1896), her paternal uncle. [8] “They married in Madrid (San Luis Obispo) on 24.04.1861” [33]

He was a “Doctor in Law, deputy to the Cortes for the Granada and Murcia provinces and senator for the province of Murcia...and founder of the Thermal Complex of Archena.” [33]

 Alfonso de Bustos y Bustos (Madrid, 23.11.1861 - Madrid, 25.12.1928)

IV Marquis de las Almenas (09.10.1880 - 25.12.1928), son of María de los Dolores de Bustos y Riquelme, Great Gentleman of Spain With Exercise and Servitude and Grandee of Spain. “On 18.06.1882, he married María Isabel Luisa Ruiz de Arana y Osorio de Moscoso (Madrid, 06.07.1865 - Madrid, 19.12.1936),” [8] “Dame of the Order of Queen Maria Luisa from 25.10.1886;” [33] she “belonged, by maternal line, to the House of Altamira, one of the most important and noblest lineages in Spain.” [8]

“Known in his circle of his friends as “the Golden Child” for being the only heir in two generations along both lines of all the immense heritage...he was in charge of the Casa Corvera following the death of his father in 1896, from whom he inherited, among other assets, the famous Archena Spa...Like his father, he was a doctor of law and in politics linked to the Conservative party, as deputy for Huéscar, plenipotentiary ambassador in Mexico and senator for Murcia on various occasions ” [8]

“On 27.05.1929, he was succeeded by his paternal granddaughter, Casilda de Bustos y Figueroa [as V Marquesa de las Almenas]. [14]



José Alfonso de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana (Madrid, 22.03.1883 - Seville, 1940), the first son of Alfonso de Bustos y Bustos, Great Gentleman of Spain With Exercise and Servitude. “His first marriage was with María Teresa de Perinat y Terry (Madrid, 30.06.1866 - Madrid, 01. 01.1918), daughter of the I Marquesa of Perinat, [on 18.10.1910] giving birth to a girl who died of childbearing age; and in the second [on 15.04.1920] with Blanca de Alzola y González de Castejón (ca 1887 - 1962), with whom he had no successor.” [8] As a wedding present from King Alfonso XIII, she was granted the title of I Marquesa de Yurreta y Gamboa. [34]

“The only child of Blanca de Alzola's first marriage to Juan Gurtubay y González de Castejón was Carmen Gurtubay y Alzola (Madrid, 04.06.1910 - Paris, 23.01.1959), a Spanish noblewoman...Knowing the profound social inequalities people lived under back then, and aware of how the wealth of the social class she'd been born into came from the misery of the majority and their exploitation, she became a convinced militant socialist and republican. Her commitment was so great that, at the start of Spanish Civil War, she moved to Paris, where she began working furiously against fascism and for republicanism until the day she died. She continued fighting against totalitarianism throughout the Second World War, even in the hardest years, when Paris was occupied by the Nazis.” [35]

 Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana (Madrid, 12.02.1885 - Madrid, 21.12. 1943), the second son of Alfonso de Bustos y Bustos, a Great Gentleman of Spain With Exercise and Servitude to King Alfonso XIII. “He was married in Madrid in the church of the Sacred Heart Orphan Asylum (La Concepción) on 18.06.1909 to Casilda Ana Figueroa y AlonsoMartínez. (Madrid, 24.06.1885 - Madrid, 04.03.1983).” [36]

“He began his political career in the Liberal Party. In the elections of 08.05.1910, he became the deputy of Cartagena, and was re-elected on 04.09.1916 for Murcia. On 07.02.1921, he requested his entry into the Senate as his own right, as a Grandee of Spain, although he did not have any parliamentary activity. Heir to large rustic properties in Barcience and Gerindote, he was one of the largest capitalists in the Region of Murcia.” [37]

 Casilda de Bustos y Figueroa (Madrid, 02.10.1910 - 03.07.2000), V Marquesa de las Almenas (27.05.29 - 31.12.1957) was the daughter of Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana and a Grandee of Spain. “She lived in Maza Rambroz, Toledo, on the “El Castañar” estate. She married in Madrid in the church of San Fermín de los Navarros, on 27.06.1929, to José María de la Blanca Finat y Escri vá de Romaní (Madrid 11.02.1904 - Madrid, 09.06.1995).” [36]

“The post-war period brought him important positions alongside Franco, among which the following stood out: civil governor of Madrid (1939), general director of security (1939), ambassador of Spain in Germany (1941), court attorney (1941), national councillor of the Movement, Madrid mayor by personal appointment of Francisco Franco (1952 - 1965).” [36] “At the end of these responsibilities, he dedicated himself to agriculture and livestock.” [38]

On 31.12.1957, she was succeeded by her son, Fernando Finat y de Bustos [as VI Marquis de las Almenas].” [14]

 Fernando Finat y de Bustos (San Sebastián, 20.12.1936 - ), VI Marquis de las Almenas (31.12.1957 - present), son of Casilda de Bustos y Figueroa. A “Gentleman of the Royal Collegiate Body of the Nobility of Madrid, lawyer, adjunct professor at the University of Madrid, MA by Harvard University, he married María Cecilia Walford Hawkins y de Borbón (London, 14.02.1940 - ) in San Sebastian on 27.07.1960; a Grandee of Spain by distribution of her father.”[36]

References:

[1] LA OPINION DE MURCIA, “Hacienda Riquelme, an Architectural Paradise” (in Spanish) https://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/municipios/2010/11/02/hacienda-riquelme-paraisoarquitectonico-32788776.html

[2] LA VERDAD, “La Hacienda” (in Spanish) https://www.laverdad.es/alicante/v/20100924/deportes_alicante/golf/hacienda-20100924.html

[3] LA VERDAD, “Ready, Steady, Go” (in Spanish) https://www.laverdad.es/murcia/v/20100924/deportes_murcia/golf/preparados-listos20100924.html

[4] AMPARO GARCÍA CUADRADO, “The Illustrated Culture in Murcia: the Books of Jesualdo Riquelme y Fonte. Introduction by Antonio Viñao Fragos” (in Spanish) (2020)

[5] MURCIA TODAY, “The Casón, Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort” https://murciatoday.com/the-cas%C3%B3n-hacienda-riquelme-golf-resort_18096-a.html

[6] MANUEL PÉREZ GARCÍA, “Strategies, Alliances and Social Networks: The Riquelme Family in the 18th Century” (in Spanish) (2005)

[7] FRANCISCO MORENO DEL COLLADO, “History of Hacienda Riquelme” (in Spanish) https://studylib.es/doc/5299522/historia-de-hacienda-riquelme---hacienda-riquelme-golf-re...

[8] JOSÉ LUIS FERNÁNDEZ VALDIVIESO, “Study, Organisation and Description From the Archives of the Marquis of Corvera” (in Spanish) (2018)

[9] AMPARO GARCÍA CUADRADO, “The not Inherited Books From the Riquelme-Arce Family in 1843” (in Spanish) (2018)

[10] MANUEL PÉREZ GARCÍA, “The Social Trajectory of a Murcian Lineage of the 18th Century: the Riquelme's” (in Spanish) (2004)

[11] MANUEL PÉREZ GARCÍA, “Social Networks and Kinship in Southern Castile: The Clientelistic System in the Kingdom of Murcia (17th - 18th Centuries)” (in Spanish) (2010)

[12] MANUEL PÉREZ GARCÍA, “Blood, Land and Power” (2021)

[13] RAFAEL GIRÓN PASCUAL, “Heritage, Mayorazgo and Social Advancement in the Modern Age: the Bustos Family Before and After the Marquisate of Corvera (16th - 19th Centuries)” (in Spanish) (2010)

[14] “Permanent Deputation and Council of Greatness of Spain and Titles of the Kingdom” https://www.diputaciondelagrandezaytitulosdelreino.es/guiadetitulo/

[15] ÁLVARO HERNÁNDEZ VICENTE, “Holders of Titles and Greatness: the Image of the Nobility in the Territories of Murcia” (in Spanish) (2019)

[16] JUAN TORRES FONTES, “Treaties, Covenants, and Coexistence: Christian - Muslim in the Kingdom of Murcia (1243 - 1266)” (in Spanish) (1997)

[17] MANUEL PÉREZ GARCÍA, “Lineage Awareness Through Heraldic Representation: The Example of the Riquelme Family (14th and 15th Centuries)” (in Spanish) (2005)

[18] SIGLIO XXI, “Haunted Houses in the Murcia Region” (in Spanish)

[19] JOSÉ LUIS FERNÁNDEZ VALDIVIESO, “Archivos familiares y cultura escrita en los albores de la Edad Contemporánea: el caso del Archivo de los Marqueses de Corvera” (in Spanish) (2019)

[20] CAYETANO ESPEJO MARÍN, “The Olive Grove: a Crop in Decline in the Region of Murcia” (in Spanish) (1989)

[21] ANTONIO GURRERRO FÚSTER, “Active Oil Mills in the Region of Murcia in the 1940s of the 20th century” (in Spanish) (2001)

[22] AYUNTAMIENTO DE MURCIA, “Historia de Sucina” (in Spanish) https://murcia.es/web/portal/historia49

[23] GIL MESEGUER ENCARNACIÓN, “The Agricultural Landscapes of the Region of Murcia” (in Spanish) (2006)

[24] CARLOS MARTÍNEZ HERNÁNDEZ, “Abandonment of Cultivation Fields in the Murcia Region. Socioeconomic Environmental Causes and Consequences” (in Spanish) (2017)

[25] TRIPADVISOR, “Hacienda Riquelme Golf Ressort,” https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ Hotel_Review-g1509165-d1228675-ReviewsHacienda_Riquelme_Golf_Resort-Sucina.html

[26] NICKLAUS DESIGN, “Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort,” https://www.nicklausdesign.com/course/riquelme/

[27] GROUPO LEISURE, “El Casón,” https://www.lotsmurcia.es/restaurante-el-cason

[28] HACIENDA RIQUELME GOLF RESORT, https://haciendariquelmegolfresort.com/

[29] AMPARO GARCÍA CUADRADO, “Between the Baroque and the Enlightenment: Three Murcian Libraries of the Old Regime” (in Spanish) (2017)

[30] NACHO GONZÁLVEZ, “Art of the Región de Murcia” (in Spanish) (2006)

[31] CONCEPCIÓN DE LA PEÑA VELASCO, “Reading Under The Sky: an Image of Oral Reading in the Rural World at The End of the 18th century” (in Spanish) (2016)

[32] TOMÁS GARCÍA MARTÍNEZ & MARÍA DOLORES AYUSO GARCÍA, “Information Sources for the Study of Traditional Winter Festivals in the Southeast of the Peninsula: (1879-1903)” (in Spanish) (2012)

[33] JOSÉ IGNACIO CONDE Y DÍAZ-RUBÍN & JAVIER SANCHIZ RUIZ, “Genealogical History of the Noble Titles and Dignities in the New Spain and Mexico, Volume 1. House of Austria” (in Spanish) (2008)

[34] ABOUTBASQUECOUNNTRY.ES, “Carmen Gurtubay y Alzola: A Basque Heroine,” https://aboutbasquecountry.eus/en/2013/02/07/noble-socialist-republican-allied-spy-carmengurtubay-y-alzola-a-basque-heroine/

[35] JOSÉ IGNACIO CONDE Y DÍAZ-RUBÍN & JAVIER SANCHIZ RUIZ, “Marqués de Salinas de Río Pisuerga” (in Spanish) (2008)

[36] VALLE DE JUAN MARIA ÁNGELIS, “Real Academia de la Historia - Rafael de Bustos y Ruiz de Arana” (in Spanish) https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/50654/rafael-bustos-y-ruiz-de-arana

[37] CENSO-GUÍA, “Achivos de España e Iberoamérica” (in Spanish) http://censoarchivos.mcu.es/CensoGuia/fondoDetail.htm?id=68566

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed written and photographic material to make this book a reality.

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