Owners:

• ?        Lorenzo Pérez de Mendoza
• ?        Diego Pérez de Mendoca
• 1700   Capitán Don Francisco García
• 1737   Francisco Xavier de Ugarte
• 1776   Don Manuel de Abarca y Leon
• 1798   José María de Abarca
• 1810   Don Francisco de Antonio de Iturbe y Heriz
• 1830   Don Francisco de Arriaga y Peralta / Doña Paca

? Lorenzo Pérez de Mendoza acquired, at a reduced price, the houses and storefronts located on one of the northern corners of the Main Plaza in the city of Pátzcuaro (currently the location of Mansión Iturbe).  His son, Diego Pérez de Mendoza, a learned clergyman, inherited them.

1700 Upon Diego Pérez’ death, Captain Don Francisco García de Valdez, General Mayor of the City, purchased seven of the houses and stores from Diego Pérez’ heiress.  The agreement stipulated that Captain García de Valdez pay the back taxes – six thousand pesos – to be paid directly to the chaplaincy, such amount to include five masses per year in honor of the deceased of the Pérez de Mendoza family.

The buildings were small and modest but, given their prominent commercial location on the Main Plaza, they produced a respectable rental income.

Upon Captain García de Valdez’ death, the properties reverted to the chaplaincywhich, in the course of several years, continued collecting rent on the properties. 

1737   A philosophy student, Francisco Xavier de Ugarte, was now overseeing the properties.  The structures had deteriorated considerably, and he vowed to make necessary improvements to them to make them more rentable.

Xavier de Ugarte became a man of the cloth and rented the properties at very reasonable rates.

1776   Apparently, Xavier, quite young and inexperienced, was poor at managing the properties.  So when his father Don Manuel de Abarca y Leon arrived, he placed the management of the properties back in the hands of the chaplaincy.

The structures were by now in worse condition than ever, and to avoid the chaplaincy losing this windfall source of income, Don Manuel offered to rebuild all the structures with portales, requesting that he simply take over the properties.

1777   The buildings were handed back to Don Manuel, not in the form in which he intended, but as manager for his son Francisco Xavier de Ugarte, now Chaplain.  Don Manuel immediately began tearing down some of the buildings on the corner and in their place built a large, two floor home with portales in front (as they are seen today at Mansión Iturbe), and it became his family dwelling.  The facades of the rest of the structures next to the large dwelling are more or less as they appeared when Don Manuel made his major overhaul of the large home.

José María de Abarca Monasterio, another son of Don Manuel de Abarca y Leon and María Ana Eduarda de Monasterio, was born in 1770 in Pátzcuaro; María Ana died in 1771, and Don Manuel married Rosa Izquierdo the same year.  Miguel was the result of this union.  He was about the same age as Don Manuel’s son by María Ana, José María.

Don Manuel, widower two times, died in 1784, surrounded by children of both marriages.

1787   José María de Abarca became acquainted with the parish priest of Pátzcuaro, José Antonio Lecuona, who was Miguel’s spiritual and political guide during these formative years.

1792   José María de Abarca married María Antonieta Salceda, daughter of the renowned Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment of Dragons of Pátzcuaro, Don José Antonio Salceda, thus creating a formidable union, Abarca Salceda. 

1795   José María de Abarca became the Subdelegate of Ario-Carácuaro and Santa Clara, thanks to his ties with the parish priest and influential neighbors.

1796   From this date, José María de Abarca had connections with important individuals in Valladolid, with whom he would maintain close friendships that would last until the Valladolid Conspiracy of 1809.

1797   When José María de Abarca was carrying out his duties of General Trustee of the City Council of Pátzcuaro, another person entered his life:  José María de Peredo, Head of the Regiment of Dragons of the Provincial Militia of Michoacán.

During this time, José María de Abarca was concentrating on expanding his diverse commercial enterprises, and widening his circle of political ties in the City of Valladolid (Guerrero) and Mexico City.

1798   The home became the long-awaited residence of his son José María de Abarca Monasterio.

This was to become a very exciting time in this part of the country:  Mexico would soon achieve its independence from Spain – which had its roots in the Valladolid Conspiracy – in the coming decade, and José María de Abarca would play an important role in it.

1800   José María’s sixth daughter, Margarita, was born.  Acting as her godparents were José’s old friend Don Francisco Menocal, and the Quartermaster of Valladolid’s sister, María Josefa Díaz de Ortega – another important social, commercial, and political link.

1806   José María requested that the towns of Erongarícuaro and Cocupao be included under his authority.  Quartermaster Felipe Díaz de Ortega agreed, since it would augment the income of the new subdelegate.

1808   José María became involved with a group of Valladolid Conspirators, headed by Mariano Michelena, who wrote in a report (1809) that José María, as committee member of the City of Pátzcuaro, attended several such meetings, which raised Spain’s suspicions (one can only suppose that the Spaniards had spies in their ranks). 

          In Pátzcuaro, José María was the contact between the Valladolid Conspirators and the Pátzcuaro Patriots, who yearned for independence.  His plans exposed, he was made prisoner, but freed shortly thereafter (one supposes, again, with the help of his high-powered friends).

1810   José María sold his properties in Pátzcuaro and moved to Mexico City.  He died in 1831, and was one of the few conspirators (Antonio Cumplido, Antonio Castro, José María Izazaga, Lorenzo Carrillo, and Mariano Michelena) who lived to see the triumph of Independence from Spain.

1810-1830  Don Francisco de Antonio de Iturbe y Heriz, who bought the Mansión from Don José María de Abarca, gave it to his daughter Doña Paca upon her marriage to Don Francisco de Arriaga y Peralta.

Since 1830, the descendents of Don Francisco de Arriaga and Doña Paca have preserved Mansión Iturbe with its initial beginnings in 1777 by Don Manuel de Abarca y León, with its New Spain architecture.  The building’s well-defined characteristics contribute to the grandeur of the lovely Plaza Vasco de Quiroga – pride of America.

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