The Sánchez Navarro ranch (1765–1866) in Mexico was the largest privately owned estate or latifundio in Latin America. At its maximum extent, the Sánchez Navarro family owned more than 67,000 square kilometres (16,500,000 acres) of land, an area almost as large as the Republic of Ireland and larger than the American state of West Virginia. The Sánchez Navarro latifundio was more than five times the size of the largest ranch, the XIT, in the United States and extended 350 kilometres (220 miles) from north to south. The latifundio was located in the Chihuahuan Desert, mostly in Coahuila, but also in Nuevo Leon, Durango, and Zacatecas. The acquisition of land by José Miguel Sánchez Navarro (1730–1821) began in 1765 and the latifundio existed until 1866 when the land was expropriated by the government of Mexico. Family members continued to be prominent in Mexican society into the 21st century.
Throughout their history the Sánchez Navarros struggled against raids by the Comanche and Apache Indians and frequent and persistent drought and scarcity of water for their livestock, mostly sheep but also cattle, horses, and mules.
History
In the 16th century, most of the Spanish settlements in northern Mexico were established to exploit mineral wealth, especially silver. However, Coahuila (then called Nueva Extremadura) lacked large deposits of precious metals and livestock grazing, mostly sheep and cattle, became the principal economic activity. The sparse vegetation of the desert dictated the need for large tracts of land. Farming was only possible in river valleys, few in number, or where ephemeral lakes formed in the rainy season. Throughout the history of latifundios in Coahuila the scarcity of water due to frequent droughts was one of two major problems, the other being hostile Indians: first, in the 17th century, the Toboso peoples and other hunter-gatherer peoples native to Coahuila, in the 18th century the Apache, and, finally, in the 19th century, the Comanche. The San Miguel del Aguajo latifundio. In the late 16th century, several early Spanish settlers in Coahuila received large grants of land from the Spanish government in Mexico City. Francisco de Urdiñola built a large latifundio centered on the community at San Francisco de Patos (renamed General Cepeda in 1892). in southern Coahuila. His descendants, including by marriage the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, by the mid 18th century had accumulated nearly as much land as the later Sánchez Navarros and their holdings had roughly the same boundaries. The Marquisate of Aguayo introduced large scale growing of grapes at Parras and exported wine and brandy to Mexico City and other Mexican cities. The owners of San Miguel de Aguayo, as the latifundio was called, raised cattle, horses, and, especially, sheep with herds estimated to exceed 200,000. They also opened the first textile mill in northern Mexico to supply clothing to its workers and residents and created a cavalry force to defend against Indian raids. The headquarters at Patos had a population of 1,200 people in 1765. Mismanagement and the hazards of raising livestock in a drought-prone region drove the Aguayo family to sell much of their property to English investors in 1825. The Sánchez Navarro family acquired the entire Aguayo estate in 1840. The Sánchez Navarros. Concurrent with the growth of the San Miguel del Aguayo latifundio in southern Coahuila, the Sánchez Navarros became important in northern Coahuila. Originally a prominent family in Saltillo. José Miguel, a priest, was appointed as Curate in Monclova, the capital of Coahuila, in 1755. He was joined there by his brother José Gregorio (d. 1774). The Sánchez Navarro brothers began to acquire land around Monclova in 1765. They established their headquarters, the Hacienda de San Ignacio del Paso Tapado, 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of Monclova. Another brother, Manuel Francisco (1743-1805), soon joined the enterprise and acquired additional lands through marriage and inheritance. Manuel Francisco was the manager of the ranch, focusing mostly on the development of the northern portion of the estate near Santa Rosa (now Santa Rosa de Múzquiz) which is watered by the Sabinas River. Manuel Francisco's son, José Melchor (1782-1836), took over management of the estate in 1802, then in poor condition due to drought and Apache raids. He established a new hacienda named Nuesta Señora de las Tres Hermanas. Tres Hermanas was large and designed for defense, a large compound surrounded by a wall 3 metres (10 ft) high, with dwellings and wall built of stone. The hacienda was 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Monclova near the junction of the Monclova and Nadadores rivers. At Tres Hermanas and nearby Tapado Jose Melchor introduced irrigation on a large scale to the latifundio and enlarged a vineyard. José Melchor died in 1836 and bequeathed the latifundio to his wife, Apolonia Beráin (d. 1876) and the couple's two sons, Jacobo (c.1814-after 1870) and Carlos (1816-1876). Apolonia ran the estate with "unquestionable authority" until her sons reached 25 years of age. In 1840, Carlos, an attorney who lived in Mexico City while Jacobo managed the estate, made the largest acquisition of the family when he purchased the bankrupt estate of San Miguel de Aguayo. This purchase increased the land holdings of the Sánchez Navarros to 67,000 square kilometres (16,500,000 acres). Their latifundio, thus, became the largest in Latin America. Jacobo moved the headquarters of the latifundio southward to Patos, taking over the headquarters of San Miguel de Aguayo. Scattered around the latifundio were 24 large haciendas or cascos each of which operated autonomously. Most of the cascos were in the better-watered northern part of the latifundio. The livestock holdings of the Sánchez Navarros were immense. In 1847, their herds of sheep totaled 250,000 and in addition they possessed large numbers of cattle, horses, and mules. Their number of full-time employees was probably between 1,000 and 1,500. To this total could be added many seasonal employees, plus people who leased land from the Sánchez Navarros.
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