Antonio Madinya Vilasendra
Antonio Federico Agustín Madinyá Vilasendra | |
|---|---|
 Antonio Madinyá Vilasendra in the early 20th century | |
| Born | August 28, 1837 Barcelona, Spain |
| Died | May 26, 1920 Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, banker, landowner |
Antonio Federico Agustín Madinyá Vilasendra (28 August 1837 – 26 May 1920) was a Spanish merchant, banker, and landowner. Migrating from Barcelona to Guayaquil in the mid-19th century, he became one of Ecuador’s first millionaires, with leading roles in banking and the cacao-export economy.[1][2]
Early life
Madinyá was born in Barcelona, Spain, on 28 August 1837, to Antonio Madinyá and Victoria Vilasendra.[1] He was baptized at the Parish of Sant Miquel, Barcelona; a scan of his baptism record is available.[3]
Career in Ecuador
Migration and establishment
By the mid-1860s, Madinyá settled in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s principal port. Around 1866 he married Josefa Lascano Bahamonde (1850–1919), sister of surgeon Dr. Alejo Lascano Bahamonde, aligning him with a prominent local family.[1]
Banking and finance
Madinyá served on the boards of early Ecuadorian banks. In 1873, he was listed as *suplente* (alternate) director of Banco Nacional and its successor, Banco del Ecuador.[4] By 1885, he held shares in Banco del Ecuador.[5] He co-founded Banco Territorial in 1886, presiding over its inaugural assembly and serving as director.[6] In the early 20th century, he rose to president of Banco del Ecuador’s board, financing infrastructure and the cacao trade.[7]
Agricultural and export enterprises
Madinyá built a cacao-export empire. By the 1890s, his family owned eight major estates across Guayas and Los Rios provinces:[2]
- Hacienda Payo
- Hacienda Peligro
- Hacienda Delia
- Hacienda Amalia
- Hacienda Punto del Norte
- Hacienda Burros
- Hacienda San Jose
- Hacienda La Elvira
Government studies list **Familia Madinyá: 8 propiedades**, situating them among Ecuador’s top hacendados.[2] To export, he operated a private fleet of steamers and riverboats, transporting cacao from plantations down the Guayas River to Guayaquil for shipment abroad.[2]
Landownership and wealth
Ecuador’s 1901 land cadaster recorded Madinyá as a leading hacendado, with declared capital exceeding 300,000 pesos; he was known as one of Ecuador’s first millionaires.[8]
Quinta Lascano
Madinyá resided in the neoclassical Quinta Lascano (later Quinta Piedad) on Calle General Cordova (now Pedro Moncayo). Originally built for Dr. Alejo Lascano Bahamonde, it featured arched windows, lofty ceilings, and formal gardens—symbolic of the cacao elite’s prosperity.[9]
Personal life and death
Madinyá and Josefa Lascano had **10 children**. Among them:
- Antonio Madinyá Lascano(1875–1961) – prominent businessman, member of the board of Banco del Ecuador, and one of the founding members of **La Planta San Eduardo**, which later became **La Cemento Nacional**, a major Ecuadorian cement company.[10]
- Alejo Madinyá Lascano (1890–1968) – was a soccer player for now defunct, Club Sport Guayaquil.
He died in Guayaquil on 26 May 1920; a family announcement thanked the public for condolences.[11]
Descendants
- Juan Antonio Orus Madinyá (1892–1987), grandson, architect of Guayaquil’s neo‑Gothic cathedral.[12]
- Maria Leonor Madinyá Andrade (1936–2006), great‑granddaughter, acclaimed poet.[13]
Civic involvement
In 1883, he co‑founded the Sociedad Española de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, supporting Spanish immigrants in Guayaquil.[14]
References
- ^ a b c Ayala Mora, Enrique (1990). Nueva Historia del Ecuador, Vol. 8. Corporación Editora Nacional. pp. 4193–4202.
- ^ a b c d Maiguashca, Juan (1994). Historia y Región en el Ecuador: 1830–1930. FLACSO. pp. 7044–7060.
- ^ Registro de Bautismos, Sant Miquel. Arxiu Historic de Barcelona. 1837. p. 128.
- ^ Directorio de Accionistas del Banco del Ecuador. Archivo Historico del Banco Central del Ecuador. 1873. pp. 341–348.
- ^ Registro de Accionistas. Banco del Ecuador. 1885. p. 368.
- ^ Actas de Fundacion del Banco Territorial. Archivo Historico de Guayaquil. 1886. pp. 286–294.
- ^ Perez Pimentel, Rodolfo (2020). "Madinyá, Antonio". Biografias y Vidas.
- ^ Tenencia de la Tierra y Movilizaciones Campesinas. FLACSO. 1980. p. 52.
- ^ Arquitectura de las Quintas de Guayaquil. Museo Municipal de Guayaquil. 2005. pp. 818–823.
- ^ Historia de la Industria del Cemento en Ecuador. Archivo Industrial de Guayaquil. 1955. p. 44.
- ^ "Agradecimiento Familiar". El Universo. 30 May 1920. p. 6.
- ^ Arquitectura Moderna del Ecuador. Universidad de Guayaquil. 1978. pp. 169–172.
- ^ Poesia Ecuatoriana Contemporanea. Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana. 2008. pp. 153–159.
- ^ "Fundadores de la Sociedad Española de Beneficencia". El Telégrafo. 15 April 1883. p. 3.