Ricardo Lancaster-Jones y Verea, MA BE KHS (9 February 1905 – 20 January 1983) was a Mexican historian and scholar who made significant contributions toward the study of the haciendas of the State of Jalisco (Mexico) in the twentieth century.Villaseñor y Villaseñor, "Bibliografía General de Jalisco", vol. IV, 1990, p. 37 His enthusiasm for history led him to become a professor of Regional History at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in 1965."Investigaciones contemporáneas sobre historia de México", 1971, pp. 246, 260 Later on, in 1973, he earned his MA degree in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico.Anales del Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, Issue 88, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, México, 2006, p. 106
Biography Family and early life Ricardo Lancaster-Jones y Verea born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, to Alberto Lancaster-Jones y Mijares and Isabel Verea y Vallarta.Muñoz Altea, Fernando; "Lancaster-Jones", "Excelsior" newspaper, Section B, Mexico City, 1 September 1985Vázquez-Tagle, José Jorge; "Los Lancaster-Jones", Class magazine, Issue 6, Mexico City, 1988, pp. 10-12 His father, Alberto Lancaster-Jones y Mijares (1873–1958) was a British-Mexican sugarcane entrepreneur and scientist."Diccionario Porrúa", volume L-Q, Editorial Porrúa, 6th edition, Mexico City, 1995, p. 1952León de la Barra, Luis; "Ordenes y Honores Pontificios en México", 1957, p. 26Olvera Ayes, David A.; "Honores extranjeros en Mexico", Publidisa Mexicana, 2007, p. 317 His mother came from a family with a long tradition in the diplomatic service, politics, and the military."Diccionario Porrúa", volume R-Z, Editorial Porrúa, 6th edition, Mexico City, 1995, p. 3721
Ricardo Lancaster-Jones y Verea's early life passed between Guadalajara, Mexico City (where his paternal grandfather lived) and his family's Hacienda of Santa Cruz y El Cortijo (located in Zapotiltic, Jalisco). When he turned 27 years old, he was asked to choose citizenship: he could have taken British nationality owing to his father's citizenship, but chose Mexican nationality.González Navarro, Moisés; "Cristeros y Agraristas en Jalisco", vol. 5, El Colegio de México, México, 2003, p. 80
Early studies and occupation
Ricardo Lancaster-Jones y Verea studied in Mexico (Instituto de Ciencias and Escuela Libre de Ingenieros, both in Guadalajara), and in the United States (St Charles College, Grand Coteau, Louisiana and the University of Dayton, Ohio).Lajoie, Who is Who in Mexico, vol. 1, 1972, p. 124 He earned a Topographical Engineering degree at the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros de Jalisco (1928)Torre de la Torre, Federico de la; "Ambrosio Ulloa, forjador de la Escuela Libre de Ingenieros de Jalisco", Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco, Secretaría de Cultura, Guadalajara, 2008, pp. 123 & 142 and a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree at the University of Dayton (1929).
As the eldest child of his family, he entered the sugarcane business in 1930 at the already mentioned Ingenio Santa Cruz y El Cortijo, where he made important contributions until 1942. In 1944, he became a member of the board of directors of Ingenio Tamazula (a sugar refinery located in Tamazula de Gordiano, Jalisco). In 1946, he was founding member of Sociedad de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Guadalajara (Engineers and Architects Society of Guadalajara) serving as general manager since 1949. Then, in 1950 he became a member of the board of directors of Banco Industrial de Jalisco."Anuario Financiero Mexicano", vol. 11, Asociación de Banqueros de México, Editorial Cultura, México, 1950, p. 578
Contributing journalist Beginning in 1934, Lancaster-Jones wrote for the Gaceta de Guadalajara magazine, later becoming a contributing journalist for the El Informador newspaper. He continued writing for different magazines and newspapers from Guadalajara and Mexico City, such as Crónica Social Tapatía, El Mundo, Estudios Históricos, Excélsior, El Occidental, et al.
Marriage In Guadalajara, on 28 October 1935, Ricardo Lancaster-Jones married Luz Padilla y España (5 April 1913 – 5 March 1978); the wedding reception was held at the Verea y Vallarta's mansion in Guadalajara (nowadays, this building is the seat of the Congress of Jalisco). On 18 February 1955, Luz Padilla y España was named Dame of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.León de la Barra, Luis; "Ordenes y Honores Pontificios en México", 1957, p. 28Vázquez-Tagle, José Jorge; "Pagó Tributo a la Madre Tierra Doña Luz Padilla y España de Lancaster-Jones", "El Occidental" newspaper, Guadalajara, 13 March 1978, Sección D, p. 3
Luz Padilla y España was the eldest child of Arcadio Padilla y Romo de Vivar, and of Guadalupe España y Araujo.
Arcadio Padilla y Romo de Vivar was a well-known Guadalajaran attorney-at-law who also was Mexico's National Railroads representative in Mexico City (1920–1935), and the State of Jalisco's Senior Deputy to Mexico's National Congress (1928–1930).Guerra, François-Xavier; México: del antiguo Régimen a la Revolución"; Fondo de Cultura Económica, volumen 2, México, 1985, p. 434Aguirre, Amado; "Memorias de Campaña", Instituto Nacional de Estudios Históricos de la Revolución Mexicana, México, 1985, p. 153
Guadalupe España y Araujo was granddaughter of José María Araujo, a Guadalajaran attorney-at-law, District Judge and Knight of the Imperial Order of Guadalupe (27 February 1865)."Anuario de las Ordenes Imperiales 1865, J.M. Lara press, Mexico City, 1865, pp. 3, 14
Through her extended family, Luz Padilla y España was niece of: A) Carmen Padilla y Romo de Vivar, wife of the Guadalajaran academic and painter José Vizcarra (1874–1956). B) Sara España y Araujo, wife of Alfredo Navarro Branca (1881–1979), a famous Guadalajaran architect from post-revolutionary period; nowadays, among his buildings, that of the Universidad de Guadalajara (1914) stands out.
Diplomat During the course of his life, Lancaster-Jones participated in some diplomatic activities with the United States, El Salvador, the United Nations and the Holy See:
Consulate of the United States
1945: he was appointed as Advisor for Cultural Affairs to the United States consulate in Guadalajara.
Consulate of El Salvador 1946: he was appointed as Consul of the Republic of El Salvador (1946–69) in Guadalajara."Directorio del Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco", Guadalajara, 1962, p. 107
United Nations Delegate 1950: he was named as United Nations' Delegate to the State of Jalisco. From 1953 to 1960, he was Secretary General of its Regional Committee.
Order of the Holy Sepulchre 1950–52: he organized, along with Cardinal Jose Garibi y Rivera, the Nueva Galicia's Chapter (Intendencia de Nueva Galicia) of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and served as its first General Secretary since 1952.
Asociación Consular de Guadalajara 1950: he was co-founder and third President (1958–66) of the Asociación Consular de Guadalajara (Consular Association of Guadalajara)."Directorio del Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco", Guadalajara, 1962, p. 102 During his presidency the city of Guadalajara became a sister city of Downey, California on 26 August 1960. The following year, he was named vice-president of the first Reunión Nacional de Cónsules, celebrated 18–20 November 1961, Veracruz, México.
Historian Lancaster-Jones was included by Luis González y González among the notable historians of the second half of the 20th century in Mexico (1973).González y González, Luis; "Invitación a la Microhistoria", Sep-Setentas, volume 72, Secretaría de Educación Pública, México, 1973, p. 94González y González, Luis; "De Maestros y Colegas", Obras completas de Luis González y González, volume 16, Clío, 2000, p. 113
In 1954, Lancaster-Jones gave more than a dozen photos to Paul Alexander Bartlett, depicting the haciendas Santa Cruz and El Cortijo (Jalisco) from 1880 to 1940, contributing to Bartlett's large-scale study of more than 350 haciendas throughout Mexico that Bartlett conducted between 1943 and 1985.Bartlett, Paul Alexander. The Haciendas of Mexico: An Artist's Record. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1990. Nowadays, these photographs are kept in the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas at Austin.Paul Bartlett Drawings and Photographs of Mexican Haciendas, 1940–1973, Benson Latin American Collection, University of Texas at Austin.
Museo Regional de Guadalajara In 1952 the Governor of the State of Jalisco, José Jesús González Gallo (1900–1957), appointed Lancaster-Jones as Curator of the Museo Regional de Guadalajara, serving this post until 31 December 1953.Moreno Pérez, Raquel; "¿Quién fue el Ingeniero Ricardo Lancaster-Jones?", Boletín del Archivo Histórico de Jalisco, volumes 1-2, Guadalajara, 1983, p. 22. During the two years he was in office, he reorganized the exhibition rooms, commanded the restoration of priceless works of art, and made a detailed inventory of the various museum collections.
In 1949 he founded – along with Salvador Gutiérrez Contreras – the Sociedad de Amigos de Compostela and was its General Secretary. In 1953 he established the Sociedad Oaxaqueña de Genealogía y Heráldica, being its Honorary President. In 1955 he established the Sociedad de Amigos de Tecolotlán, being its General Secretary.
Academia Mexicana de Genealogía y Heráldica 1948: He entered to the Academia Mexicana de Genealogía y Heráldica as a supernumerary.Mexico City, 18 October 1948 Since then, most of his essays on genealogy and heraldry were published in the Academia's Memorias; among others, La Familia Añorga y sus ramas de México (1949) stands out due to the extensive iconographic research on the families: Añorga, Barron, Escandón and Mijares. This study provide new facts to Captain José de Añorga's biography: he was the first Director of San Blas' shipyards, and the Port's Governor; this place became very important because the New Spain's explorations to North America's Pacific Coast departed from there."Memorias", Academia Mexicana de Genealogía y Heráldica, Vol. 5, 1a Serie, México, 1949, pp. 93-102 1954: He became a numerary member with seat #21 and was appointed by Academia's president, José Ignacio Dávila Garibi, as Academia's Delegate to the State of Jalisco.Mexico City, 7 July 1954
Academia de Genealogía y Heráldica Mota-Padilla
1950–53: He reorganized the Academia de Genealogía y Heráldica Mota-Padilla, being its President (1950–83). He has been praised by the academic Ramiro Ordoñez Jonama (former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala) regarding his work by giving continuity to this institution.
Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística 1950–57: He was General Secretary of the Junta Auxiliar Jalisciense (Jalisco's Chapter) of the Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística.
Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara In 1965 Antonio Leaño Álvarez del Castillo (1913–2010), Rector and Chairman of the Board of Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, appointed Ricardo Lancaster-Jones as professor of regional history at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.Moreno Pérez, Raquel; "¿Quién fue el Ingeniero Ricardo Lancaster-Jones?", Boletín del Archivo Histórico de Jalisco, volumes 1-2, Guadalajara, 1983, p. 24.
University of New Mexico