The Zóbel de Ayala clan is a prominent Filipino family of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

descent who were the founders of Ayala y Compañía (now

Ayala Corporation Ayala Corporation (, formerly ''Ayala y Compañía''; ) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and Antonio de Ayala during Spanish colonial rule, ...

) and patrons of the Premio Zóbel literary awards. The clan is directly descended from Jácobo Zóbel de Zangróniz (1842–1896) and Trinidad de Ayala Roxas (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)

Jácobo Zóbel de Zangróniz was the son of Jácobo Zóbel y Hirsch (né Jakob Sobel) and Ana Maria de Zangróniz (daughter of a justice at the

Real Audiencia of Manila The Real Audiencia of Manila () was the Real Audiencia of the Spanish East Indies, which included modern-day Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Micronesia and the Philippines. Similar to Real Audiencias throughout the Spanish Empire, it was ...

, who had come from an old Navarrese/Basque family.) He was born on the 12th of October, 1842, and was the first Zóbel born in the Philippines. His grandfather, Johannes Andreas Sobel, arrived in the Philippines from Hamburg, Germany in 1832, together with his wife, Cornelia Hirsch, and their son, Jakob. Johannes Andreas Zóbel came from a long line of German pharmacists and established the ''Botica Zóbel'', an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

, in 1834, located on Calle Real 28 in

Intramuros Intramuros () 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. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

. Zóbel was sent to his parents' hometown Hamburg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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 Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

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

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

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 & Captain-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 - 28:09.63 mi ...

as a member of the Manila Municipal Board and the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País. During his term, Zóbel introduced many liberal reforms: public schools, the first tree-planting activities and campaigned for representation in the Spanish Cortes. 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 (; ), built in 1571, is a citadel or castle built by Spanish navigator and governor Miguel López de Legazpi for the newly established city of Manila in the Philippines. The defense fortress is located in Intramuros, the walled ci ...

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 () 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 ''Prince'' in English. The Prince ...

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 Roxas (1856–1918) on February 5, 1875. The couple took a whirlwind honeymoon trip to

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, 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 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 Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País, 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 The Royal Academy of History (, RAH) is a Spanish institution in Madrid that studies history "ancient and modern, political, civil, ecclesiastical, military, scientific, of letters and arts, that is to say, the different branches of life, of c ...

from 1865 to 1896. He received numerous awards, including the Grand Cross - Real Orden Americana de Isabel la Catolica in 1880, Knight - Orden de Carlos III, and knight-commander of the Order of the Northern Star of

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. In December 1885, Zóbel established the first

tram system A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include seg ...

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 Tuasón, of the naturalised Chinese mestizo caste. Eventually, he built four other major tram lines in Manila and its vicinity (Malate, Sampaloc to Tondo), drawn by horses. Zóbel died on the 7th of October, 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 The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

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 (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...

to a

corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

, 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) m. Concepción Tremoya Palet ** 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 (d. 2024)https://www.philstar.com/business/2024/09/24/2387662/doa-bea-ayala-family-matriarch-passes-away-88https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1986644/ayala-family-matriarch-dona-bea-dies-at-88 ***** Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala II m. Elizabeth Eder ******Mariana Beatriz Zóbel de Ayala m. Danel Aboitiz ******Jaime Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala m. Marga Aboitiz ******Eugenia Zóbel de Ayala ******Mercedes Zóbel de Ayala ***** Fernando Zóbel de Ayala m. Catherine Marie Silverio *****Beatriz Susana ''(Bea Jr.)'' Zóbel m. Juan Urquijo Fernández de Araoz (d. 1995) ******Jaime Z. Urquijo m. Alexandra Suarez *****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.(d. 2023) ***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 founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

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

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

Bank of the Philippine Islands The Bank of the Philippine Islands ('';'' '','' commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the oldest bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is the fourth largest bank in terms of assets, the second lar ...

Ayala Land Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) is a full line 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 ...

Inc., Manila Water Company until its divestment in 2024, and

Globe Telecom Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates one of the largest mobile, fixed-line and broadband networks in the Philippines. As of November 2023, ...

, one of the largest mobile phone networks in the Philippines. Its former legal name was ''Ayala y Compañia'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ayala y Cía'') (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 partnership to a

, becoming Ayala Corporation. At present, the family continues to hold the controlling stake in the company through its holding company ''Mermac, Inc.'' https://bilyonaryo.com/2020/09/13/from-rtc-to-cta-makatis-abby-binay-just-cant-win-tax-case-against-zobels-holding-firm-mermac/business/https://bilyonaryo.com/2024/03/10/zobel-familys-mermac-picks-up-ayala-corp-preferred-shares-sold-by-mitsubishi/business/

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 with headquarters in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally fo ...

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 languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

in the Philippines. * The Ayala Foundation (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 ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

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 Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

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