Juan Serrallés Colón

Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón[note 1] (1836[1]–1921) was the founder of Hacienda Mercedita in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and what was to become Destileria Serralles, producers of "Don Q", a brand of Puerto Rican rum.

Juan Serrallés Colón
Born
Juan Eugenio Serrallés Colón

1836[lower-alpha 1]
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Died1921 (age 85) [lower-alpha 2]
Ponce, Puerto Rico
OccupationBusinessman

Family and early years

Juan Serrallés Colón, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was the son of Sebastian Serrallés, a wealthy Spaniard from Catalonia who settled in Ponce in the early 19th century and went into the sugarcane business, and Juana Colon. Serrallés Colón was the owner of "Hacienda Mercedita" as well as the neighboring Hacienda Fe and Hacienda Laurel.[2][3]

Juan Serrallés was raised in Ponce and educated in Spain. When Juan Serrallés returned to the island, he returned to lead the work in his hacienda (plantation).[4]

"Don Q" rum

In 1865, Juan imported a still which he purchased in France and produced his first few casks of rum. He named the rum Don Q in honor of the legendary Spanish fictional character Don Quixote. Soon after, the "Don Q" brand of rum became very popular in Puerto Rico and the family business began to grow.[5]

In 1903 the Serrallés family, under the leadership of Juan Serrallés, installed the first continuous still in Puerto Rico. Juan Serrallés died in 1921 just as the production of rum was being halted because of the United States Prohibition Act of the 1920s. Juan's family continued to run the sugar side of the business but for the distillery side started to produce medical alcohol instead of the outlawed rum. It was called Alcoholado Superior 70.

Personal life
The Serralles Castle, built by Juan's son, Juan Eugenio Serralles Perez in the 1930s

Juan Serrallés Colón married Mercedes Perez (1845–1922), after whom he named his sugar plantation.[6] They had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Juan Eugenio Serrallés, became the head of the Serrallés family business after Juan died in 1921. Juan's grandchildren – via Juan Eugenio's marriage to Rosa Maria Sanchez – were Rosa, Juan Eugenio, and Felix Juan.

Juan Eugenio built a huge castle in Ponce, called the Serralles Castle, for his three children some ten years after his father's death, a testament to the prosperity of the plantation business that Juan Serrallés had started the previous century. Eventually one of these grandchildren, Felix Juan, became the next in line to run the sugar plantation and rum distillery businesses, which he did until his death in 1985.

Currently

The sugarcane business ceased to operate in 1994, with only the rum distillery that Juan had spearheaded decades before still operating. Today, Juan Serrallés Colón's great-grandson, Felix Juan Serrallés, Jr., presides over Destileria Serralles, Inc.[7]

Legacy

The Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has honored the memory of Juan Serrallés Colon by naming both a grade school and a high school[8] in Ponce after him. There is also an elementary school named after his wife Mercedes.[9]

Descendants

See also

Notes
  1. In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Serrallés and the second or maternal family name is Colón.

Footnotes
  1. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, historian, writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serralles states Juan Serrallés Colón was born in 1834. See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, El Museo Castillo Serrallés /The Serralles Castle Museum, published by Patronato del Castillo Serrallés , 1998, ISBN 0-9650059-0-9, p. 96.
  2. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, historian, writer and curator of Museo Castillo Serrallés states Juan Serrallés Colón died in 1897. See Neysa Rodriguez Deynes, El Museo Castillo Serrallés /The Serralles Castle Museum, published by Patronato del Castillo Serrallés , 1998, ISBN 0-9650059-0-9, p. 96.

References
  1. Hacienda Mercedita Foundry, Barrio Sabanestas(sic), Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico: Photographs, Written Historical and Descriptive Data. Archived 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine Benjamin Nistal-Moret, Hector Sanchez and Jean Yearby. Historic American Engineering Record. HAER Number PR-8. U. S. National Park Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. 20240. 1984. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  2. Our Story: Archived 9 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Destileria Serralles
  3. Hacienda Mercedita Archived 8 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine: Foundry Barrio Sabanestas, Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  4. Rum: The Epic Story Of The Drink That Conquered The World. Archived 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Charles A. Coulombe. Citadel Books. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp. Page 99. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  5. A Spirited Tradition. Archived 18 July 2012 at archive.today Chase Lindsey. University of Oklahoma. Gaylord College of Journalism. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  6. Serrallés Family. Archived 10 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Genealogy Incorporated. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  7. "Sucesión Juan Serrallés, Inc. Celebrates 150 Years of History" (PDF). Google Storage.
  8. Crece el número de Héroes en Ponce. Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. 12 February 2014. p.6.
  9. Escuela a punto de que se la trague la tierra: La vida de los estudiantes y maestros de la escuela elemental Mercedes Pérez de Serrallés podría correr peligro ya que el plantel está a punto de colapsar. Darisabel Texidor Guadalupe. 13 May 2013. PrimeraHora.com Accessed 26 July 2020.
  10. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN 0965005909. p. 99.
  11. Martínez Rivera – Landrón Family Tree. Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Family Tree Maker. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  12. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN 0965005909. p. 99.
  13. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN 0965005909. p. 99.
  14. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN 0965005909. p. 99.
  15. Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. El Museo Castillo Serralles/The Serralles Castle Museum. Patronato del Castilo Serralles. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1998 ISBN 0965005909. p. 99.
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