THE ARANETA FAMILY HISTORY

The Araneta family dates back from the early times when aristocracy was still prevalent. The family traces their ancestral roots back to ancient times in Aragon Spain and from there, scattered all over the country.

According to the historian, "Baron de Cobos" of Belchite, Aragon, one branch of this family established their household in the province of Gipuzkoa, in Vasconia, nowadays known as " "Pais Vasco", or the Basque Country. (Basques, first known to history as natives of modern-day Navarre and Aragon in the first century BC ), are now predominantly found in an area known as the Basque Country, consisting of four provinces in Spain and three in France, located around the western edge of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay.

The family dwelled mostly near the mountains, surrounded by valleys, hence the name Araneta, with its etymology derived from the Basque term "aran" meaning valley, and in addition the locative suffix "eta", which denotes a "place of". Thus, the initial bearer of the surname Araneta would have been someone who dwelled in a valley.

During the Middle Ages, and before the hereditary family name system was instituted, it was a practice to adopt a second name to be able to differentiate one individual from other with the same personal name. Surnames, as with languages in general undergo spelling changes over time. This can be the result of exchanging letters which sound similar or of scribes altering a name as it is recorded.

From the diverse unity which characterizes Spain, comes the distinguished Araneta family surname. Historians have studied the available records to reveal that the original family ancestral seat originated first in Aragon, an ancient kingdom of Spain. One of the earliest records bearing the name Araneta is that of Martin de Araneta, who came from an aristocratic family of Basque origin. His name was recorded in a Castilian document dated 1227. Martin de Araneta was a Knight during the era of the Reconquest. He served and escorted Ferdinand III,, king of Castile and Leon, in the conquest of Cordova, Murcia, Jaen, and Seville from the Moors in 1217. He was granted innumerable amounts of lands when Ferdinand divided the conquered territories between his knights the Church, and the Nobility, whom he enfeoffed with great latifundias.

According to Garcia Garafa, a Basque scholar and historian from Vasco [Navarro], the Aranetas had ancestral homes in the valleys of Gainza and Andoain in Gipuzkoa. A notable member of this household Juan Francisco de Araneta, who was ennobled in Gainza, circa 1683.

While the use of hereditary family names began in the Iberian peninsula on the thirteenth century, it was not until the sixteenth century that the practice became firmly established among the general populace. The Basque Country is filled with heritage of families of aristocratic and noble origins, who in the ancient times of shields and swords, earned their nobility by protecting their king and country from foreign invaders. The Spanish Crown in granting the family a decree of the coat-of-arms, recognized the nobility of the Araneta family. It is found in the compilation of,"The Land of Basque and Navarres, and in the index of the "COAT-OF-ARMS" of the Hispanic Communities".

Ref: The Historical Research & Archives Center.


THE PHILIPPINE ARANETAS

According to historical accounts obtained from the elders in the family, the Philippine Aranetas originated from the Basque region of Northern Spain.

Reconquest of the peninsula freed the Spanish monarchs to look to the rest of the world and begin to build an empire of their own. The new world was discovered in an attempt to find an ocean passage to the orient. From its original base in the West Indies, Mexico and Peru, Spanish exploration radiated in all directions.

In 1723, during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, two priest brothers named Baltazar de Araneta and Don Jose de Araneta arrived in Manila aboard the Spanish Fleet,"Nuestra Senora de Guia". They came from the Basque region of Spain by way of Acapulco Mexico. This was, however, not conclusive as some members of the family, disputed that the two are neither priests nor brothers and Don Jose de Araneta must have been born in Gipuzkoa, but not Baltazar de Araneta, who was born in Mexico. Until we have the actual fact, this still remains to be known.

Baltazar de Araneta served the Spanish government as a Regidor of the Cabildo and Secretary of the Charitable Fraternity of the Misericordia in Manila. He married Manuela de Aguirre. He died in Manila in 1750.

In 1725, Don Jose de Araneta joined and served the Spanish Politico-Military Government of Mindanao based at Zamboanga City. He served also as interpreter of the Government and the Sultan of Maguindanao, together with Placido Alberto de Saavedra. A passage quoted from a document which was written in tarsila, a (Maguindanao Genealogy) revealed that in 1746 Don Jose Araneta was executed in Sulugan , Mindanao nowadays known as Anuling in Cotabato, Philippines. However, this is not conclusive because of conflicting information drawn from translations of various documents pertaining to him..

Before the turn of the century, his two sons Buenaventura and Vicente Araneta y Sta. Ana, left Zamboanga province for Iloilo. They permanently settled in Parian [Molo]. His other son Jose, stayed behind in Zamboanga City. Years later, Vicente Araneta y Sta. Ana, together with his family, moved to the province of Negros Occidental and established his residence there. This started the Negros branch of the family.

The present Aranetas of today are forebears of the two brothers Don Jose de Araneta and Baltazar de Araneta.


SOURCE: Based from stories as narrated by my father; some information also derived from articles written during the first family grand reunion held in Iloilo City, Philippines in November of 1993, courtesy of Rodolfo (Dinggol) A. Divinagracia.