Cruz Family
The Cruz family is a Chilean colonial-era lineage established by the Genoese-born military officer Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte after his arrival in Concepción in 1743.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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History
The Cruz family documented in the Chilean historical record traces its establishment to Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte, who was born in Genoa, in Liguria, in 1693. He entered military service in the troops of Felipe V and subsequently served under Carlos III of Spain. In 1743, during the War of Arauco, he traveled to Chile under the command of Admiral Pizarro and arrived in Concepción. The following year, colonial authorities associated with the administration of José Antonio Manso de Velasco established a presence in San Agustín de Talca. Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte became connected with this colonial settlement and with the development of the family in the Talca area. He married María Silveria Álvarez de Bahamonde y Herrera, a woman identified in the reference material as belonging to an established criollo family. Their marriage joined a recently arrived military lineage with local colonial society. The couple had fifteen recorded children. Six sons are described as especially important in the later extension of the family: Faustino, Juan Esteban, Vicente, Juan Manuel, Anselmo, and Nicolás de la Cruz y Bahamonde. Other children included Jacinto, who became a Catholic priest; Ignacio and another Juan, who died in childhood; María de los Ángeles, who also died in childhood; María Mercedes; Bartolina; Micaela; María Rita; and Manuela. Through their marriages and descendants, the family developed connections with several prominent colonial households. The family's social and historical prominence grew through land, marriage alliances, and participation in the formation of elite society in the Maule region. The account associates the family with San Agustín de Talca and the city of Talca, and later with Santiago society. It also refers to links with the County of Maule and the Viscountcy of Cruz. These references place the family within the hereditary and landed structures that shaped Chilean colonial and early postcolonial history. Several marriages recorded for the first generation illustrate the family's network. Faustino married Mercedes Polloni Molina. Juan Esteban married María del Loreto Antúnez y Silva. Vicente married Josefa Burgos y Fonseca. Juan Manuel married first Tomasa Antúnez y Silva and later María de los Dolores Muñoz Plaza. Anselmo married Isabel Antúnez y Silva. María Mercedes and Bartolina both married Juan Albano Pereira Márquez, while Micaela married Manuel de la Concha y Pérez de Velarde. María Rita married Ángel García y Prieto and later Eugenio José Fernández de Braga y Burgos, and Manuela married Juan de Echeverría. Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte died in San Agustín de Talca on 27 January 1768. Later family members also had well-documented lifespans extending into the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The reference material records, among others, Faustino's death in 1826, Vicente's in 1823, Juan Manuel's in 1822, Anselmo's in 1833, Bartolina's in 1819, Micaela's in 1823, and Nicolás's in 1828. These dates demonstrate the continuation of the founding family's descendants through the colonial transition and into the early republican period. The Cruz family is therefore best understood as a genealogical and historical subject. The available sources do not support treating it as an operating corporation, consumer brand, product manufacturer, or modern commercial house. No reliable information is provided about current family representation, organizational structure, commercial assets, or contemporary activity.
- 1768
Death of the family founder
[1]Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte died in San Agustín de Talca on 27 January.
- 1744
Connection with San Agustín de Talca
[1]The family became associated with San Agustín de Talca and the colonial development of the Talca and Maule region.
- 1743
Arrival in Chile
[1]Serving under Admiral Pizarro, Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte arrived in Concepción during the War of Arauco.
- 1693
Birth of Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte
[1]Juan de la Cruz y Bernadotte was born in Genoa, Liguria, before entering Spanish military service.
Products and positioning
Historical Chilean family lineage and colonial-era social house; not documented as a commercial product brand.
Sources1 sources
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