Photo of some heritage houses in the City of Iloilo, Philippines owned by members of the Araneta Clan, or once-upon-a-time belong to this illustrious Ilonggo family.
A Brief Family History:
The Philippine Aranetas are descended from two brothers who came from the Guipuzcoa Province of the historical region of the Vascongadas or Basque Country in northern Spain. Evidently hidalgos or members of nobility since they possessed a Coat-of-Arms.
During the Galleon Trade in 1723, Baltazar de Araneta y Guyol and his brother Don Jose de Araneta arrived in Manila from Acapulco, Mexico on board the galleon "La Sacra Familia" and decided to settle permanently in Las Islas Filipinas. Baltazar, an officer in the Spanish fleet married to Manuela de Aguirre served as a Regidor of the Cabildo in Manila and later became the Secretary of the charitable fraternity of the Misericordia. He died in Manila in 1750. His son, Juan Francisco Araneta y Aguirre, a maestre on the galleon "Santisima Trinidad" fought the British forces when they attacked Manila in 1762. He proved his nobility before the justices of Gaiza in the year 1773.
While in 1725, Don Jose de Araneta y Guyol joined the first expeditionary forces for Mindanao together with Don Placido Alberto de Saavedra, to serve the Spanish Politico-Military Government based at Zamboanga City as interpreter of the government and the Sultan of Maguindanao --Sultan Amiril Mamini Camsa, a.k.a. Amir ud-Din Hamza, also referred to by the khalifal title "Amir-ul-Muhminin."
Don Jose de Araneta died in line of duty as Royal Interpreter in 1746 at Silangan (Sulugan) the present Anuling in Cotabato, Central Mindanao. Don Jose's two sons, Mathias and Vicente, both surnamed Araneta y Santa Ana left Zamboanga for Iloilo while another son Jose Benito stayed behind.
Years later, Vicente Araneta y Santa Ana together with his family joined the exodus of the more adventurous prominent ilonggos from Parian (Molo) and Salog (Jaro)such as the Yulos' and the Yusays'; the Locsins's and the Lacsons'; the Lopezes' and the Ledesmas'; the Jalandonis' and Javellanas'; the Montinolas', Montillas' and Montelibanos'; the Valencias' and Villanuevas'; the Salases' and dela Ramas' and others who migrated to the "New Frontier", the island of Negros formerly known as "Isla Buglas" with its' majestic Mount Kanlaon that eventually became known as the land of sugar barons or "Sugarlandia". . . (Truncated)
Source: THE ARANETA FAMILY OF THE PHILIPPINES
(By: dinggol araneta divinagracia-October 23, 1993)
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| Escudo de Armas of the Familia Araneta "Nobleza y Valor" (Nobility and Strenght) |
THE ANTILLAN HOUSE IN JARO, ILOILO CITY
Undoubtedly, one of the most popular heritage houses in Iloilo City is the "ANTILLAN HOUSE"; built at the turn of the last century by Don Gregorio Montinola y Lozada married to Dña Matilde Jalandoni y Habana.
This magnificently designed ancestral house withstood the fury of nature, the ravages of war and the test of time. After a lenghty judicial proceedings, the decision of ownership finally favored Dña MATILDE JALANDONI MONTINOLA married to Don ALFREDO ARANETA SANSON of Molo.
The property with lot area by the hectares, that span the main thoroughfare of E. Lopez St. up front and the main street of Commission Civil at the rear, was bequeathed to the four Sanson-Montinola brothers, namely: Gregorio, George, Federico and Francisco.
After an amicable settlement, the brothers partitioned among themselves the property with Greg (married to Marilou Lorca Tirol), the eldest retaining the Antillan House, while his younger brothers shared a proportionate and reasonable portion of their estate.
The Antillan House was the initial venue of the "First" Araneta Family Grand Reunion (Nov.19 & 20, 1993) spearheaded by Eva Araneta-Serra, TonyPet Araneta and Dinggol Araneta Divinagracia.
(In Photo -Jaro Fiesta Feb.2, 2017): With my daughter Jinky Gonzales, niece Joy Montinola Gatuslao-Siscar and Jun, son of former Iloilo Provincial Governor Sim Griño. --dinggol.d~~~
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| The DON JOAQUIN LEDESMA Mansion. Fronting Plaza Jaro is the impressive palatial edifice built by Don Joaquin Ledesma married to Dña Pilar Arguelles. When their son Jesus "Nene" Ledesma passed away, the Don bequeathed the property to his widow Emma de la Peña Montinola vda. de Ledesma and her children. Emma is the daughter of Alfredo Araneta Montinola and Rosario dela Peña. Her great grandfather Gabriel Militante Araneta was the "twin" brother of my maternal great grandfather Felix Militante Araneta. --dinggol.d~~~ (Below is a photo of Manang Emma as beauty queen during her younger days.)  |
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| The DON FELICITO SORIANO ARANETA Mansion
The "Pink" Mansion fronting the Jaro Cathedral across the Plaza was built
by Felicito Soriano Araneta married to Clotilde Araneta Montinola.
Childless, they adopted their niece Teresita, (daughter of Don Eliseo
Araneta Montinola and Dña. Aurora Virto de Montinola) who married Francis Valderrama. This property was later acquired by the Ang family of Iloilo City.
During my High School years, Lolo Felicito, the youngest brother of my (maternal) Lolo Marciano Soriano Araneta would pick me up in his chauffeured car to accompany him going around or stay weekends in his home to harvest Star-apple and Tambis.. Even before his demise, I already received from him some Negros Navigation shares-of-stocks where he was Treasurer and one of the founders. Bless his soul! --dinggol.d~~~
The Don Rodrigo Araneta Montinola mansion in Jaro, Iloilo City was built
in the mid-1880's by Rodrigo Araneta Montinola married to Felisa
Jalandoni. This was inherited by their niece and adopted daughter Estela
Virto Montinola, who married Mayor Adolfo Jaen of Leganes, Iloilo. Manang Estela was the daughter of Don Eliseo Araneta Montinola and Doña Aurora Virto de Montinola.
The estate is now owned by the family of Natividad Panlilio Montinola. Don Rodrigo's maternal grandfather Gabriel Militante Araneta was the "Twin" brother of my very own great granda Felix Militante Araneta. --dinggol.d~~~ 
Family
photo of Rodrigo and Felisa Jalandoni-Montinola with the young
Estella, Simplicio and Ma. Lourdes "Lulu" Montinola-Gatuslao. (Mother of
Joy who married my Locsin nephew Edgar Hubero Siscar).
The family of Edgar and Joy lived in this ancestral house for about 20-years. --dinggol.d~~~ |
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| The Doña CONCHA SORIANO ARANETA Mansion This house in Calle Quezon near Gen.Luna St. was originally owned by Salvador "Badong" Araneta Segovia, eldest son of Maria Soriano Araneta and Luis Segovia. Tio Badong was married to Clarita Tolosa of Tigbauan, Iloilo. After WW2, the badly damaged residential bldg. was acquired and renovated by his mom Maria's sister Concepcion "Concha" Soriano Araneta, a spinster. We lived in this house for several years, after our own home was razed to the ground during the 1966 conflagration that destroyed about 1/3 of Iloilo City Proper. After the death of Lola Concha, I personally sold this property to Mr. William Bayani with the authority from her heirs including my mother Adela Locsin Araneta vda. de Divinagracia. --dinggol.d~~~ |
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| The DON JESUS ARANETA ESTEBAN Mansion. Along Calle Ramon Muzones (formerly Gen. Robert Hughes St.) going to Fort San Pedro, stands the ancestral home of Don Jesus Araneta Esteban married to Dña. Beata Torres Ferrer. He was the son of Col. Emilio Araneta Esteban, of the 1898 Panay revolutionary Forces of the Estado Federal de Bisayas. and eldest son of Placido Esteban and Ceferina Militante Araneta. Col. Emilio was married to his first cousin Pilar Locsin Araneta, daughter Agaton Militante Araneta and Josefa Locsin. Ceferina and Agaton were younger siblings of my great Grandpa Felix Militante Araneta of Molo, Iloilo City. --dinggol.d~~~ |
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| The DON ROQUE LOCSIN SANSON Mansion
The
Sanson-Araneta ancestral home along Lopez Jaena Street in Molo, was built by spouses Don Roque
Locsin Sanson and Dña Isabel Soriano Araneta, eldest daughter of Felix
Militante Araneta and Paz Ditching Soriano.
This was later inherited by their eldest son Alfredo Araneta Sanson married to Matilde Jalandoni Montinola,. who bequeathed the same property to their four sons, namely Gregorio, George, Federico and Francisco. After an amicable agreement among the brothers, this heritage house went to the second son George married to the former Elizabeth Vinzon. --dinggol.d~~~ |
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| The Dr. TOMAS SANTAREN SERRA Mansion
One
of the most sought-after Physician-Surgeon in Iloilo, Philippines in
the yesteryears was the illustrious and kind-hearted Dr. Tomas Santaren Serra of San
Joaquin, Iloilo with residence at Calle Santo Rosario in the City of Iloilo..
The good Doctor was married to the former EVA SITCHON ARANETA, daughter of Don Marciano Yulo Araneta, erstwhile Presidente Municipal of Bago in Negros Occidental. Manang Eva is a younger sister of Don J. Amado "Amading" Araneta, founder of the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, who built the world reknowned 'ARANETA COLISEUM". --dinggol.d~~~ |
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| The DON SERAFIN ARANETA SANSON Mansion This ancestral home fronting Molo Plaza beside the now famous tourist spot called "Molo Mansion" (formerly Yusay-Consing), belong to Serafin Araneta Sanson married to Milagros Gustilo. The sturdy old house of hard wood with solid concrete base was demolished to give way for modern residential buildings within the family compound. Tio Serafin is the son of Roque Locsin Sanson and Isabel Soriano Araneta, eldest sister of my Lolo Marciano Soriano Araneta. --dinggol.d~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ oo0oo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
