The Zóbel de Ayala clan is a prominent Filipino family of Spanish and German descent who were the founders of Ayala y Compañía (now

Ayala Corporation Ayala Corporation (Spanish: ''Corporación Ayala'', formerly ''Ayala y Compañía'' (Ayala & Company)) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and A ...

) and patrons of the Premio Zóbel literary awards. The clan is directly descended from Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz (1842–1896) and Trinidad de Ayala (1856–1918). Ayala y Compañía (established in 1876) traces its origins to Casa Róxas, a business partnership established in 1834 between Domingo Róxas (1792–1843) and Antonio de Ayala (1803–1876).

History

Jacobo Zóbel (1842–1896)

Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz was the son of Jakob Hinsch Zóbel and Ana Maria Zangroniz (daughter of a justice at the

Real Audiencia of Manila Real may refer to: Currencies * Brazilian real (R$) * Central American Republic real * Mexican real * Portuguese real * Spanish real * Spanish colonial real Music Albums * ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000) * ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...

, who had come from an old family in Navarra, Spain). He was born on October 12, 1842 and was the first Zóbel born in the Philippines. His grandfather, Johannes Andreas Zóbel, arrived in the Philippines from Hamburg, Germany in 1832, together with his wife, Cornelia Hinsch, and their son, Jakob. Johannes Andreas Zóbel came from a long line of German pharmacists and established the Botica Zóbel pharmacy in 1834, located in 28 Calle Real in

Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day ...

. Zóbel was sent to Hamburg, Germany for his primary education (1848 to 1859) and continued his higher studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid, taking up natural sciences. It was there he explored his lifelong fascination with

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, chemistry and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

. In doing so, he mastered eleven languages. He befriended the young

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

Don Antonio Delgado (1805-1879) from Madrid, who inspired his scholarship on antiquarian coins. He traveled to several museums in Europe to research more about his collecting hobby and he published the classic monograph titled "Memoria Sobre Las Monedas Libiofenicias o Teudetanas" which is still published and used in Spanish universities to this day. He graduated from the university in 1864 and returned to Manila to assume management of Botica Zóbel. Brought up as a liberal, Zóbel welcomed his appointment by Governor General

Carlos de la Torre Carlos de la Torre Allariz (born 18 May 1966 in Marín, Pontevedra) is a retired Spanish long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres. Achievements Personal bests *5000 metres - 14:01.42 min (1994) *10,000 metres The 10,000 metr ...

as a member of the Manila Municipal Board and the

Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País The ''Sociedades Económicas de Amigos del País'' (Economic Societies of Friends of the Country) were private associations established in various cities throughout Enlightenment Spain, and to a lesser degree in some of Spain's overseas territories ...

. During his term, Zóbel introduced many liberal reforms: public schools, the first tree-planting activities and campaigned for representation in the

Spanish Cortes The Cortes Generales (; en, Spanish Parliament, lit=General Courts) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house), and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets i ...

. He also opened the first public reading room and library during his term. Because of his many liberal ideas, Zóbel became a suspect following the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. On September 22, 1874, he was imprisoned in

Fort Santiago Fort Santiago ( es, Fuerte de Santiago; fil, Kutà ng Santiago), built in 1571, is a citadel built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is lo ...

for several months on the charge of sedition. He was cited also for possession of firearms and revolutionary pamphlets. The

Prince of Bismarck Prince of Bismarck (german: Fürst von Bismarck) is a title of the German nobility. The German word '' Fürst'' historically denotes a sovereign ruler, and is a higher title than ''Prinz''; however both titles are conventionally rendered as ''Pri ...

made representations to the Spanish government to have him released. He was acquitted in February 1875 by the

for lack of evidence. Zóbel married Trinidad de Ayala (1856–1918) on February 5, 1875. The couple took a whirlwind honeymoon trip to Japan,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, the World's Fair of 1876, and Europe, where their children were born. The couple decided to live briefly in Spain after Jacobo decided to study transportation systems in Europe, and he renewed his numismatic research, publishing a major work entitled ''Estudio Histórico de la Moneda Antigua Española Desde Su Origen Hasta El Imperio Romano'' in 1878. Sometime in 1880, the couple returned to Manila. He became a representative of Eiffel et Cie of Paris and built the

Ayala Bridge Ayala Bridge, in Filipino ''"Tulay ng Ayala"'' and in Spanish ''"Puente de Ayala"'', is a steel truss bridge over the Pasig River in Manila, Philippines. It connects the districts of Ermita and San Miguel, passing over the western tip of I ...

in Manila. Ayala y Compañia (the successor-in-interest to Casa Róxas) was established in 1876 and Zóbel became one of its partners until 1891. He was appointed member of the Consejo de Administración by the King of Spain on May 25, 1882. He was also member of the

, a ''conciliario'' (adviser) of Banco Español Filipino and the secretary of the Cámara de Comercio de Manila. He became a member of the prestigious Real Academia de la Historia from 1865 to 1896. He received numerous awards, including the Gran Cruz de la Real Orden Americana de Isabel la Catolica in 1880, the Caballero de la Orden de Carlos III, and knight-commander of the Order of the Northern Star of Sweden and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. On December 1885, Zóbel established the first

tram system A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

in Manila, the Manila-Tondo line, which extended to Malabon and was powered by steam. His capitalist partner was the Spanish banker Don Adolfo Bayo and his local partner was one of the richest Filipinos of the time, Don Gonzalo Tuason. Eventually, he built four other major tram lines in Manila and its vicinity (Malate, Sampaloc to Tondo), drawn by horses. Zóbel died on October 7, 1896, while under suspicion once again of supporting the Philippine revolution.

Trinidad de Ayala (1856–1918)

Trinidad de Ayala was the youngest daughter of Antonio de Ayala and Margarita Róxas (the eldest child of Domingo Róxas y Ureta). She was very supportive of her husband's liberal causes, a trait she inherited from her mother. She was very much interested in the arts and she cultivated singing. '' La Ilustración Filipina'' magazine reported on March 28, 1892 that she was invited to sing in Malacañang with other sopranos of the period. In 1898, upon the death of her husband and with her brother-in-law, Pedro Pablo Róxas (1847–1913), away in Paris, France, Ayala divested her husband's tramcar and pharmacy businesses, and various assets of Ayala y Compañia. Showing extreme astuteness, she redeployed capital into marketable securities in hotels and trade, which later boomed after the Philippine–American War and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She increased the family's holdings in Banco Español Filipino, bought into The Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Company Ltd. and invested in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

real estate. Under her stewardship, Banco Español Filipino expanded into branch banking, opening an office in

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on t ...

. She funded the development of Manila's first community water system, known as the Carriedo waterworks. In 1898, she led Ayala y Compañía into its first real estate development. Upon the death of her brother-in-law Pedro Pablo Róxas in 1912, she took over his interests in Ayala y Compañia. In 1914, she gave Hacienda San Pedro de Macati to her grandchildren – Jacobo Zóbel, Alfonso Zóbel and Mercedes Zóbel (the children of her son Enrique with his first wife, Consuelo). She died in 1918 at the age of 62.

Descendants

Jacobo Zóbel and Trinidad de Ayala had five children – Fernando Antonio A. Zóbel (1876–1949); twins Enrique (1877–1943) and Alfonso (1877–1882); Margarita (1881–1963); and Gloria – who were the first-generation Zóbel de Ayalas. Among the children, Fernando Antonio and Enrique would assume leadership of Ayala y Compañía. Enrique's descendants would inherit Ayala y Compañía after his death in 1943. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the family's fortunes would increase with the development of Hacienda San Pedro de Macati. In 1968, Ayala y Compañía shifted from a

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

to a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

, becoming

Bloodline

*Domingo Róxas (1792-1843) m. Maria Saturnina Ubaldo ** Margarita Róxas (1826-1869) m. Antonio de Ayala (1803-1876) *** Camilla de Ayala m. Andres Ortiz de Zarate *** Carmen de Ayala (d. 1930) m. Pedro Pablo ''(Perico)'' Róxas (1847-1912) **** Consuelo Róxas de Ayala (1877-1908) m. Enrique Zóbel de Ayala (1877-1943) **** José Róxas de Ayala **** Margarita Róxas de Ayala m. Eduardo Soriano y Sanz **** Pedro Róxas de Ayala **** Antonio Róxas de Ayala *** Trinidad de Ayala (1856-1918) m. Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz (1842-1896) ''(see Family Tree)'' **** Fernando Antonio Zóbel de Ayala (1876-1949) **** Enrique Zóbel de Ayala (1877-1943) m. Consuelo Róxas de Ayala (1877-1908); m. Fermina Montojo (1881-1966) **** Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala (1877-1882) ''(twin of Enrique)'' **** Margarita Zóbel de Ayala m. Antonio Melian y Pavia (1879-1956) **** Gloria Zóbel de Ayala ** José Bonifacio Róxas (1834-1888) m. Juana de Castro *** Pedro Pablo ''(Perico)'' Róxas (1847-1912) m. Carmen de Ayala (d. 1930) ** Mariano Róxas

Family tree

*Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz (1842-1896) m. Trinidad de Ayala (1856-1918) **Fernando Antonio Zóbel de Ayala (1876-1949) ** Enrique Zóbel de Ayala (1877-1943) m. Consuelo Róxas de Ayala (1877-1908); m. Fermina Montojo (1881-1966) ***Jacobo Zóbel de Ayala y Róxas (1902-1971) m. Angela Olgado; m. Sachiko Morita **** Enrique J. Zóbel (1927-2004) m. Rocío Urquijo (1935-2009); m. Dee Anne Hora *****Jacobo Santiago ''(Santi)'' U. Zóbel (1954-1965) *****Mercedes ''(Dedes)'' U. Zóbel m. Carlo Pessina *****Iñigo U. Zóbel m. María Cristina Cardenas ***Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala y Róxas (1903-1967) m. Carmen Pfitz (1909-1999) ****María Victoria ''(Vicky)'' Zóbel de Ayala m. Juan Antonio Vallejo-Nágera (1926-1990) *****Alejandra Z.Vallejo-Nágera *****Iñigo Z. Vallejo-Nágera *****María Z. Vallejo-Nágera **** Jaime Zóbel de Ayala m. Beatriz Miranda ***** Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala II m. Elizabeth Eder ***** Fernando Zóbel de Ayala m. Catherine Marie Silverio *****Beatriz Susana ''(Bea Jr.)'' Zóbel m. Juan Urquijo Fernández de Araoz (d. 1995) *****Patricia Zóbel m. Juan Enrique de Herrera García Moriyón (?); m. Alonso Halffter Caro *****Cristina Zóbel m. Ignacio Suárez de Puga Fontes *****Monica Zóbel m. Guillermo Pla Otáñez *****Sofia Zóbel m. Francisco R. Elizalde ****Alfonso ''(Alfonsito)'' Zóbel de Ayala, Jr. ***Mercedes Zóbel de Ayala y Róxas (1907-2005) m. Joseph McMicking (1908-1990) ***Matilde Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo m. Luis Albarracin Segura ***Consuelo Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo (1914-1990) m. James D. Alger (1912-1986) ***Gloria Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo m. Ricardo Padilla y Satrustegui ****Georgina Z. Padilla m. Luis Mac-Crohon y Garay ****Alejandro Z. Padilla *** Fernando M. Zóbel (1924-1984) **Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala (1877-1882) ''(twin of Enrique)'' **Margarita Zóbel de Ayala m. Antonio Melián y Pavía, 4th Count of Peracamps (1879-1923-1957) ***Sylvia Z. Melián ***Leopoldo Melián, 5th Count of Peracamps (1910-1978) m. María Natividad Ugarte y Aboitiz (1916-2018) ****Margarita Melián (1948) m. 1975 Ignacio Ricardo Ortigas ****Enrique Melián, 6th Count of Peracamps (1955) ***Eduardo Z. Melián ***Raul Z. Melián ***Elena Z. Melián (1915-1925) ***Alfredo Z. Melián (1916-1991) m. Almudt Schmidt (1921-1946) m. Mary Dolores Randolph Magda (1926-2016) ****Cristobal S. Melián (1946) m. Marianne Heiberg (1945-2004) ****Arturo R. Melián (1957) ****Victoria R. Melián (1958-2021) m. Luis Marsans Astoreca (1952-2004) ****Eugenia R. Melián (1960) ****Sylvia R. Melián (1962) **Gloria Zóbel de Ayala

Ayala Corporation

The Zóbel de Ayalas are among several Filipino families listed in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' list of the world's richest people. The family owns and controls

, the country's largest and oldest conglomerate that includes the

Bank of the Philippine Islands Bank of the Philippine Islands ( fil, Bangko ng Kapuluang Pilipinas, es, Banco de las Islas Filipinas, commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is t ...

Ayala Land Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) is a real estate firm based in the Philippines. It is a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation. It began as a division of Ayala Corporation until it was spun off and incorporated in 1988. It became publicly listed in the Phi ...

Inc., the Manila Water Company, and

Globe Telecom Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates the largest mobile network in the Philippines and one of the largest fixed-line and broadband networks ...

, one of the largest mobile phone networks in the Philippines. Ayala Corporation was formerly known as Ayala y Compañia (established in 1876) which evolved from a series of partnerships beginning with Casa Róxas, a partnership established in 1834 between Domingo Róxas and Antonio de Ayala. In 1968, Ayala y Compañia shifted from a

to a

, becoming Ayala Corporation. At present, the family continues to hold the controlling stake in the company through its holding company Mermac, Inc.

San Miguel Corporation

Iñigo U. Zóbel is the majority shareholder and chairman of Top Frontier Investment Holdings, Inc., the largest and controlling shareholder of

San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally founded i ...

Public service

* In 1929, Enrique Zóbel de Ayala established the ''Premio Zóbel'' to recognize the best written works in the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...

in the Philippines. * The

Ayala Foundation Ayala Corporation (Spanish: ''Corporación Ayala'', formerly ''Ayala y Compañía'' (Ayala & Company)) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and A ...

(formerly, Filipinas Foundation) envisions communities where people are productive, creative, self-reliant, and proud to be Filipino. * The Consuelo Foundation was established by Consuelo Zóbel Alger. It operates and supports programs in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

and the Philippines that prevent and treat abuse, neglect and the exploitation of children, women and families.

Legacy and honors

The De La Salle-Santiago Zóbel School was named after Jacobo Santiago "Santi" Zóbel (1954–1965), the eldest son of Enrique J. Zóbel and Rocío Urquijo. " Jaime Zóbel de Ayala and family" are among the three Filipino families included in the ''

'' list of the "World's Richest Families". The 2007 Harvard Alumni Achievement Award was awarded to Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Corporation, for his exemplary leadership in business. It is the highest honor of the Harvard Business School. He was the first Filipino and the youngest alumnus to be so honored. Jaime Zóbel de Ayala was awarded with the Philippine Legion of Honor, Rank of Grand Commander on December 24, 2009. Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala II and Fernando Zóbel de Ayala were awarded with the Philippine Legion of Honor, Rank of Grand Commander on June 29, 2010.

Notable members

* Enrique Zóbel de Ayala * Fernando Zóbel * Col. Jacobo Zóbel * Col. Joseph McMicking * Mercedes Zóbel McMicking * Consuelo Zóbel Alger * Enrique J. Zóbel * Jaime Zóbel * Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala II * Fernando Zóbel de Ayala

References

External links

Ayala Corporation

Ayala at 175 Magazine

Ayala Foundation

The Joseph & Mercedes McMicking Foundation

Enrique Zobel Foundation

Consuelo Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Family, Zobel De Ayala Filipino people of German descent Filipino people of Basque descent Filipino people of Spanish descent Harvard University people Business families