Family history Conde de Regla

The Counts of Regla – Silver, Entrepreneurial Spirit and Common Sense

The history of the house Regla began with Pedro Romero de Terreros, born in 1710 in Cortegana, Andalusia. As a young man, he traveled to New Spain and supported his uncle in his business in Querétaro. Pedro proved to be a skilled merchant and administrator. After the death of his uncle, he invested together with José Alejandro Bustamante in the silver mines of Real del Monte near Pachuca.

The work was expensive, but the breakthrough to the abundant Vizcaya vein made Romero de Terreros one of the wealthiest men of the Viceroyalty. Mines, processing facilities, and haciendas formed a vast economic complex. Santa María Regla and San Miguel Regla commemorate this era. At the same time, Pedro supported monasteries and educational institutions. In 1775, he founded the Sacro y Real Monte de Piedad de Ánimas in Mexico City, from which the present-day Nacional Monte de Piedad emerged.

King Charles III honored his merits on December 7, 1768, with the title of Count of Santa María de Regla. Pedro was also a Knight of the Calatrava Order and later donated a large warship to the crown, which bore his title as its name. He died in 1781 at Hacienda San Miguel Regla.

His son Pedro Ramón became the second Count and continued to manage the extensive family estate. His son Pedro José María succeeded him in 1810 as the third Count. In the midst of the independence period, he sought new ways for the technically sophisticated mines and leased them in 1824 to a British company that brought machinery and skilled workers to Real del Monte. Later generations were linked by marriage to other Mexican families. Haciendas, archives, and especially the still active Monte de Piedad preserve the memory of a family whose silver success resulted in a remarkably enduring social legacy.

Sources: National Institute of Anthropology and History, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexican Academy of History, National Monte de Piedad

Family coat of arms Conde de Regla

Family coat of arms Romero de Terreros, associated with the title of countess of Santa María de Regla.

Split. In the front, two silver-shouting wolves are superimposed on top of one another, within a golden border adorned with six green rosemary branches. At the back, divided: at the top, in silver, is a torn green meadow, accompanied by two black-shouting wolves; at the bottom, in green, are five golden heart-shaped leaves, placed one to one; the field at the back is surrounded by a red border with eight golden crosses of Andrew.

King Charles III granted Pedro Romero de Terreros the title of Count of Santa María de Regla in 1768.

Sources: Spanish Ministry of Justice, entry „Regla, Conde de“, PARES, Spanish Ministry of Culture, combined blazonry Romero de Terreros, explanatory notes, history, print, splendid