| THE SURNAME IN AMERICA |
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COLONIAL PERIOD In the viceroyalty of Nueva Granada, the access ports of the immigration from Spain were in Santa Marta (founded in 1525) and Cartagena de Indias (founded in 1533). For strictly commercial reasons, in the city of Cartagena settled a very important group of gaditanos - people from the Spanish province of Andalucía and its surroundings. In the province of Santa Marta the settlement was composed primarily from a large community of the Spanish region of Cataluña. The catalan influence in the local government was consolidated through the control of the economical activities of the city and by the civil service positions filled by the imperial bureaucracy. This served as a catalyst in the secular rivalry that existed between Santa Marta and Cartagena. The large catalan merchant community managed to secure, after a long conflict with the gaditano merchants from Cartagena, the concession for the export to the Caribbean colonies of dyewood - very abundant in the province of Sta Marta - and exchange from Spain gunpowder, flour and other provisions for the military establishment in Cartagena.Members of the FALQUEZ family, clearly of catalan origin, were not strangers to these geographical affinities and therefore resided in Sta Marta yet with many links to the city of Cartagena. Following the events triggered in 1810 by the process of independence from Spain, a very active participation of different members of the Falquez family can be identified serving in military positions. Being the city of Santa Marta very close to royalist interests, we must assume that the family moved to Cartagena, by this time, as the city led the libertarian endeavor. In this colonial period it is worth highlighting the different noble families linked to our ancestors. Their members occupied positions of responsibility and management in different eras. Worth mentioning was Manuel Joan Martinez y Fernandez de Medina, born in Cataluña, Knight of the Order of San Hermenegildo, Cavalry Lieutenant, Squadron Commander of the “Dragones Voluntarios de Corozal”; Jose Francisco de Munive y Mozo de la Torre, who was a lawyer of the Royal Hearing of Santa Fe, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Santa Marta and Auditor of the People of War; and Andres Ildefonso de Madariaga y Morales, first Count of Pestagua.
Antonio, acting as Deputy of Cartagena, signs in Santa Fé de Bogota the “Constitución Politica de la Nueva Granada de 1832” (Political Constitution of Nueva Granada of 1832), signed on the 1st of March of that year. He married Maria Francisca Martinez de Munive y Mozo de la Torre born in Santa Marta in the year of 1794, daughter of Manuel Joan Martinez y Fernandez de Medina, a native of Lleida (Lerida) Cataluña (Spain), born December 27 of 1755 and who married Maria Antonia Munive y Mozo de la Torre in the city of Santa Marta (Colombia) on June 7, 1791. Maria Antonia’s father, José Simeon de Munive y Mozo de la Torre, born in Santa Marta in 1746, was a lawyer of the Royal Hearing, Lieutenant Governor and Auditor of the People of War. Antonio Maria de Falquez and Maria Francisca Martinez de Munive were the parents of:
In 1842 the central government commissioned General Pedro Alcantara Herran to restore order. Upon reaching Santa Marta on April 7 of that year, he expels many of those involved in the uprising among them: Antonio Maria, Jose Francisco, Antonio Federico y Manuel Salvador Falquez. Perhaps they went to Jamaica, from where they would return later when an amnesty was decreed.
Carmelita was married to the general and doctor, Antonio Gonzales Carazo, that then was President of the Sovereign State of Bolivar, one of the most famous politicians of the state of Bolivar. Graduated from the University of Cartagena, congressional representative, senator, comrade in arms of General Mosquera in the army to fight Melo. Senior officer in the civil war Ospina Rodriguez and southern campaigns against the general Juan Jose Florez. General lived in a large colonial house on the corner of Calle Baloco, facing the beautiful curtain of the stronghold of Santiago. This general actively participates in the uprising that sought to dismiss Juan José Nieto of the Presidency of the State of Bolivar, and Manuel was an important accomplice in this facts. After Failing Antonio Carazo Gonzales takes refuge in a consulate arriving disguised as a woman and he took refuge in the city of Santa Marta on March 12, 1862. After moving to Barranquilla, we can assume he meets Isabel Casola. The story of "trunk" tells that Isabel's mother, also known as Isabel Casola, had a romantic relationship with the Spanish priest Antonio Maria Muñiz and Polanco, who figured as pastor of the Church of San Nicolas. We suppose that this priest was the father of Isabel. The priest was owner of the "Rebolo" farm that had 15 hectares, and which later would form the "Barrio Arriba". It extended from “Tacunga” and the “Boliche”, to the ancient swamp of “La Luz” and from the path that connected Soledad with Barranquilla to the "Bartolo" farm, where after sometime they built the road to the airport. The descendants of Manuel and Isabel were:
In april 4th of 1876, together with other partners (most of them belonged to the masonry), they founded the fortune society. One of their activities was the construction of the Fraternity Saloon, located between San Juan street and San Blas street (36 y 35), dedicated to all kinds of public shows, specially movies. Manuel was initiated into masonry in Barranquilla, appearing in the Lodge "Fraternity", No. 22, he became iny December 28, 1862 with the rank 1 (Apprentice). Although this Lodge had ephemeral life (it disappeared in 1865), Manuel continued his work, since he was editor of a Masonic bi weekly newspaper called The Missionary. He Transcribe the presentation: "Religious, moral and literary journal that is intended to serve as a communication board to the work of the Brothers of Charity Society and coming out into the open on October 15, 1870." For those unfamiliar with the subject, the Brothers of Charity Society is in force that owns the Universal Cemetery of the city of Barranquilla. Manuel's son, Federico Falquez Casola probably followed his father's footsteps because I find his name chairing the joint construction of a new Masonic Temple, on September 30, 1909, of respectable XIX Loggia, No. 24. Jointly with Alberto Chegwin, they were the owners of the “Salon de la Quinta”, that was located in Murillo between Aduna and the Rosario Alley (today it will be in the 45 st between 46 and 50). The saloon opened in march 29 of 1913, it had chairs for 3000 watchers. It was build with the purpose of showing cultural activities and movies. The two sisters Falquez Casola, Alonso and Carmen, contracted nuptials with two brothers, Abello Vergara, Pedro Leon and Manuel Domingo, respectively. Samarium origin, they had a figuration in the political and economical life of Sta. Marta. Manuel Domingo was partner and CEO of the company "Steamship Company of Sta. Marta", a company in which General Tomas Cipriano de Mosquera (president of the republic in the year 1845) worked for a long time. Another son of Manuel e Isabel was Leonardo de la O Falquez y Casola, who was born in Barranquilla in the year 1876 and died in 1957 and was part of local politics. Thanks to the General Rafael Reyes quitting the presidency of the Republic, in the year 1909, a military uprising was carried out in july 4 of that same year, directed by Daniel Carbonell, General Martinez Aparicio, Leonardo Falquez and General Eutimio Sanchez. Their plan was to assault the steamboat called “Hercules” that was supposedly carrying Reyes to the city, in which he was supposed to be judged in the city square. When the steamboat was assaulted the General wasn't onboard. Reyes had moved to another boat, one that was headed to Sta. Marta. The singular episode can be understood as a manifestation of antimilitarism, which intended to judge the dictator Reyes and tried to recognize the rightfully elected vice-president, General Ramon Gonzales Valencia. General Reyes had left the executive power to his treasury secretary Dr. Jorge Holguin. The legitimate power was restored on july 11 of 1909, with a strike to the barracks. After that during the General Eparquio Gonzales government, Leonardo Falquez was named major of the city of Barranquilla from 1922 a 1928. There are several anecdotes about this illustrious ancestor that have been saved. He was affectionately called "Fosforito Falquez" by the way he "turned on" when he talked about issues that were disgusted and against morality and decency. Their political beliefs affected the Conservative party that then led him to sign the ordinance prohibiting the Liberals go out after six p.m. !! Live to tell!!! Another anecdote refers to a communistic activities of some guy named Luis Gutarra, exiled from Havana for his revolutionary activities. Leonardo was commissioned by the Governor to address this problem. He only went to the square of the cemetery where Luis had a manisfestación, calling him: - "You, young man! The one speaking under the pivijay!" (pivijay: a tree of the region) With these words the people began to disperse by magic, leaving the pale and lonely revolutionary without even the power to say “earth swallow me”, with the aggravating circumstance that the cemetery was closed. - "What’s happening here? Talk without pants!!” (It means: speak bluntly) The revolutionary ran whispering. "Long live communism! Long live Trotsky! ... Long live Lenin !!! ". "Long live!!" - Falquez answered with all his phosphorescence - "Long live, but far from here!!!".
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