• Our History

  • Our ancestors

    Understanding where we come from allows us to know where we are going

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    Carlos Guerrero

    1847-1923

    He was born in the province of Buenos Aires, in 1847. He was 14 years old when he began to collaborate with his father in the tasks of the first fluvial company in our country. Towards 1871 he began to direct some rural establishments, task that forged solid knowledge to him on the agricultural work. By force of initiative and work, he managed to acquire several fields in the provinces of Buenos Aires, San Luis and Córdoba, which were models in their activity. San Antonio, in Olavarría, Primavera, in La Nacional station, La Penca, Buena Esperanza and El Parque, in the Chamaicó station, María Ignacia, in Naón station, Retaguardia, in Charlone station, Vanguardia, in Burmeister station, La Salada, in Castelli station, in addition to the beautiful and recognized cabin "Charles", erected in the town of Juancho, General Madariaga Party. In his time, he became one of the cattlemen who owned the largest number of head of cattle, of all races, in our country. He was the founder of the Agrarian League of the Province of Buenos Aires in defense of the interests of agricultural producers. He presided over this institution almost in perpetuity.

    He brought to our country the first bull Angus aberdeen from the United Kingdom: "Bull: VIRTUOUS, No. 1626, born on April 19, 1878, raised by Colonel Ferguson.

    He founded the first food canning factory that was established in our fields. He devised and built several mechanical devices for the extraction of water as well as for marking and taming livestock. He created a sheep bath with which he won the first prize of the Buenos Aires Exposition, competing with other foreign systems.

    His civic responsibility also led him to act in politics, having been president of the Democratic Party and candidate for national deputy by the same group. In 1907 he was appointed municipal commissioner in the Federal Capital. Many social, scientific and charitable institutions counted on their material contribution and on their brilliant initiatives. He died at his establishment "Charles" in Juancho, on January 23, 1923.

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    Nicolás Mihanovich

    1848-1929

    Born in Split, Austrohungarian Empire, in 1848.

    He worked as a young man in the port and arrived in Montevideo as a crew member of the City of Sydney boat in the mid-1860s. He settled in Alto Paraná and dedicated himself to river transport. Years later he joined the Genoese Juan Bautista Lavarello and began to make transfers from the boats anchored 300 meters inland to the port. In 1887 he established the first service that regularly linked the Argentine capital with the Uruguayan towns of Carmelo and Colonia del Sacramento. He was a pioneer in transfers along the Paraná River, competing and displacing the Entre Ríos Railroad.

    Mihanovich's interest in tourism was also demonstrated when in 1906 his Palace Hotel was opened very close to the port of Buenos Aires. In 1916 it had a fleet composed of 324 units of which: 45 were passenger vapors, 27 cargo, 70 tugs, 142 boats, 31 flat, 7 pontoons and two floating cranes.

    For his career, the Austrian Emperor Francisco José I appointed him Honorary Consul in 1899, which was added in 1913 the title of Baron. He also received several decorations: Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, Jorge V of the United Kingdom and Alfonso VIII King of Spain.

    One of his last ventures was the construction of a large tower destined to apartments for rent in the aristocratic neighborhood of Retiro, completed only in 1929, currently the Hotel Sofitel Arroyo. He did not get to see the complete work since he died that same year at the age of 83.

     

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    José Antonio Guevara

    1888 - 1973

    When José Antonio was a child his father goes to war where he is wounded. When returning to the house the Argentine State does not pay the pension to him and Don Guevara father can not return to work by the physical sequels. That's why at age 8, when she was in her second year of high school, she left her studies to work in the store of the general store Bola de Oro of Heliodoro Fernandez Conepa loading and unloading the wagons of the clients to help the family.

    In the first week of going to work one morning he falls asleep at home and arrives late to work with great fear apologizes to his employer and lies to him as an excuse that he was sick, seeing him as a child gives him pity and sends him to bottom of the tent to rest and recover from your discomfort. "Open up with those leathers and rest," says Don Heliodoro. After a short time of being alone on the hides, he feels the guilt of the lie and begins to feel bad indeed, then, he goes to see him again to Heliodoro and tells him the truth, that he had fallen asleep and that he was very ashamed for having lied and that he gave up on work so as not to bring him more problems. Heliodoro forgives him and makes him promise that he will never cheat him again. From that moment José Antonio swear not to disappoint him again and went to work with much impetus gaining the confidence of the owner and little by little a father-son relationship was formed between them.

     

    Guevara's progress in the warehouse was important and Don Heliodoro taught him mathematics, calligraphy and José Antonio went on to carry practically only the entire business administration and to win the trust of the clients. In 1920 Heliodoro decided to return to his homeland Spain and left

    everything in charge of Guevara.

    They were years of growth in Argentina and José Antonio knew how to handle the business very well, accumulating important profits.

    Without news of Heliodoro, he decides on his own to invest those profits in fields of purchase in Baradero, the La Dorita ranch, near Areco, another important El Cortijo field, and even ventures to buy some vineyards in Mendoza.

    Time passes and when Heliodoro returns he can not believe that he was not only the owner of a general store but that he had become a landowner from the hands of that young man he had left in charge.

    Grateful for everything he had done, Guevara offers him a prize and wants to associate him with everything he has achieved, but José Antonio tells him that his dream is to have a treasury house.

    Then Heliodoro decides to help him in gratitude for the fortune that made him win and Guevara assembles the consignee and also gives him the management of their stays, and JOSÉ ANTONIO GUEVARA SRL is born. from there the firm is very successful and José Antonio goes on to sell and buy the hacienda of all the aristocratic families of the area. The story of the young man who had increased the fortune of Don Heliodoro is going from mouth to mouth and quickly many farmers they ask Guevara to administer their fields.

    Little by little, with a lot of work and an irreproachable behavior, José Antonio builds his own fortune. He buys his first house in the main square of Areco, which today is the Draghi Museum. These are years of progress, he builds his second consignee house in Balcarce and there he meets Maria Bianculli, with whom he marries and has 3 children, a baby who died a few months after birth, a male Pepe and a Mora woman.

    Everything was going very well in those years and Guevara had invested all his capital in finance but when he least expected it came the great crisis of the 30th: meat exports were closed and internal consumption was minimal, the meat was worthless and Jose Antonio had to fulfill and honor their commitments.

    He decides to sell everything that had cost him so much in spite of how low he was paid for the crisis but he fulfilled and paid his rental contracts for the fields he had leased; As a result of his good behavior he manages to acquire a loan for 30 years and with that he buys "El Refugio" a 75-hectare field with a small house, settles there and returns to buy the hacienda and to populate the fields he kept rented.

    With his wife and the 8 trusted shopkeepers, he goes back to working hard to recover. Mariá became the cook of the puesteros and José Antonio a puestero more. One afternoon José Antonio saddened by the situation and seeing his wife work so much he looks her in the eye and says "What a bad life I am giving you" Maria looked at him and answered surprised "that you complain José Antonio if we were never so happy "that frame sentence he was very proud of the woman who had at his side and promised to rebuild the fortune he had lost. When the crisis passed and everything went normalizing. The estancieros remembered that the only one of the town that had faced his debts and fulfilled with all had been Jose Antonio then quickly they asked again him to administer their stays.

    Guevara recovered the house in the village and this time he said he did not rent more fields, the fields are bought, the first was to buy the neighbor Ramirez and so the shelter was getting bigger and little by little he was making his fortune.

    Already consolidated economically and with a family formed and stable his male son Pepe with only 18 years will see him and says "dad goes out to auction a stay in streams La Sirena, I think that my future is in that place", surprised by the His son's tenacity after a few hours tells him to prepare the car. We go to Corrientes to see the countryside. Getting to the field was not easy there were no roads or bridges and getting there was an incredible journey, when they arrive they travel the countryside on horseback for several days and realize something incredible the estancia does not have 15,000 has but 30,000 and the ranch that is inside the field is worth almost more than the whole field. They decided to make a closing offer closed the risk was huge and had to put all the money that the family had and also get into debt with the bank. They buy it and decide to move the entire stream farm to Areco to sell it in the province of BsAs where the double was paid. Guevara hugs him to his son and tells him this was your dream so now you must fight for him and leave him in the field with the task of collecting all the farm and find it to send it Areco. Pepe with 18 years old is installed in the ranch that had more than 200 puesteros all armed with a knife, despite that fulfills the mandate of the father manages to gather about 15,000 heads that were inside the ranch, it takes hundreds of kilometers to reach upload them to the train and from there to Zarate where they had to go down the 15,000 heads and take them on horseback to areco a journey unthinkable for everyone but it does. With this business they end up consolidating a large fortune that allows them to continue buying more fields in Areco, Ramallo, Baradero, Entre Rios and Corrientes. José Antonio remained at the forefront of his business, working hard until the last day of his life. He was able to see his two sons Pepe Y Mora with their own fields and with many grandchildren who admired him and loved him greatly. The outings in Break surrounded by all of them were memorable and Guevara could rest in peace knowing that his struggle had not been in vain.

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    Mario Amoroso Copello

    1919-1998

    Born in Buenos Aires on October 4, 1919, son of Alfonso Godofredo Amoroso and Juana Copello. He studied at the National College of Buenos Aires, remembered years later as an exemplary student. Then he entered the career of Law and Engineering. He was a lawyer at the age of 25 and began his activity advising large French business groups.

    In 1955 he met Mora Guevara who was divorced and had two children: Blanca and Daniel. That same year they traveled to Mexico to get married because in Argentina there was no divorce. Fruit of that love a few months later his only son Alfonso Godofredo was born.

    In 1958, the couple decided to buy a field in San Antonio de Areco, where Mora's father, José Antonio Guevara, already had an important agricultural operation. Hopeful in this project to the field they put the Faith to him, they construct a helmet, two tambos models and its own hut Holando Argentino.

    Together with other producers in the area, Mario founds PURO (Producers United Route Eight), where he holds the presidency for several years.

    In 1961 he began to manage the fields of his wife, starting the cattle activity with the Aberdeen Angus breed. In the Estancia Jose María (in Villaguay - Entre Ríos) he implements the first artificial pastures of the area, carrying out an intensive breeding, while in Areco, in the fields La Cicuta and La Lechuza, he fattens the Angus steers.

    In 1969 the French group he advised decided to sell their companies. Mario excited about the opportunity buys one of them: Porcelanas Lozadur.

    In 1975 product of the guerrilla and constant threats decides to leave the country, selling part of its fields and returning only a year later.

    In 1983, associated with his son, he founded a consultancy and advises top-level companies.

    At the end of 1986, together with his wife, they decide that it is time to step aside and that their children take charge of the agricultural activity. They donate a portion of the field to each one of them.

    In 1993 his wife suffers a stroke and Mario makes the decision to close the consultant and dedicate all his time to take care of the love of his life.

    He died on July 9, 1998, in the City of Buenos Aires.

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    Mora Guevara

    1922-2009

    She was born in the city of Buenos Aires on December 10, 1922. Daughter of José Antonio Guevara and Maria Bianculi.

    He lived all his youth in San Antonio de Areco, there his family had fields and the most important treasury agent of the region.

    In spite of not being a custom of the time, they worked together trying to learn the fieldwork, something that although José Antonio found it very flattering, he did not like it because he did not correspond to a woman. .

    He studied at the Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón school in Belgrano, an institution of very demanding nuns. Mora despite not accepting many rules of the establishment was a good student. Then the parents forced her to study the career of piano teacher, which she did reluctantly. She finished her studies refusing to play the piano once received in act of rebellion against her father, who had forced her to perform them.

    He always liked social life, parties and cocktails. Having a very special beauty and natural sympathy, she had plenty of candidates to get married, but Mora was not willing to accept any of her family's presents. When she tried to live alone in Capital City and leave the country, her parents became angry and forbade her, arguing that she was crazy, a young lady could not live alone. Mora insisted a lot but despite her pleas I can not convince them. It was then that she threatened them saying that if she did not move alone she would marry the first one that crossed her, to which the father replied that she would not leave without his permission.

    Soon Mora met the architect Daniel Igartúa and fulfilled his promise: he married and left the countryside to the city looking for a more sociable life.

    She had two children, Blanca and Daniel, whom she adored but her marriage did not work and she felt very unhappy. This motivated her to see her father and tell her that she wanted to divorce. The answer was strict: "you are crazy that does not correspond to a lady".

    Mora then took the decision on her own: she left with her children from the house where she lived and asked for a divorce that had just been installed in Argentina. This resulted in a serious fight with his father.

    Shortly after a cocktail he met Mario Amoroso Copello, it was a withering arrow, he proposed to marry immediately, the issue was how to tell Mora's father. At that time divorcing and remarrying so quickly was very frowned upon. With the help of his brother Pepe Guevara and his wife Betty, they organized a meeting at El Refugio Field in Areco, the father's favorite.

    The surprise was that after Mario talked for a while with José Antonio, he left the kiss to his daughter and said: "Daughter this time you have chosen, is a great man."

    Months later they traveled to Mexico and got married. A year later they had their only child in common Goffre Amoroso Copello.

    They lived very happy for more than 40 years, together they made a great stay in Areco, which they called La Fe, because of the illusion they had in the country and in their great love. Mario adopted Mora's children as his own and managed to form a great family.

    Mora also at that time founded DAFAC, an association to help cancer patients devoting much of their life to this institution.

    In 1993 she had a stroke at age 71 and faced a prolonged illness for more than 15 years during which her husband supported her unconditionally.

    He died in Buenos Aires on April 20, 2009

     

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    Fernando Mihanovich

    1918-1997

    Born on January 21, 1918, son of Nicolás Mihanovich and Felicitas Guerrero.

    He lived all his youth in Arroyo and Suipacha, in the Petit Hotel (years later it would be the Embassy of Israel that during the 90s was destroyed as a result of an attack).

    When he was 17, he entered the Military College, where his career began.

    Together with Carlos, his brother, they begin to administer the fields of the mother. As the stays were very distant, he takes out the pilot's license and with an airplane he goes through them.

    With his military and aviation knowledge he travels to the United States, he buys airplanes and radios from the Second World War to repair them in Argentina and then sell them.

    In one of his trips to the US he meets Sylvia María Muniz, whom he married on September 10, 1951 in New York at the San Ignacio de Loyola Church. They have 8 children, Teresa, Fernando Segundo, Juan Carlos, Cristina Maria, Silvia María, Javier, Pedro and Felicitas.

    When his mother dies, the rooms are divided with the brothers. Fernando chooses Campo La Vanguardia, in Bouchardo south of Córdoba, where he performs an innovative agricultural activity. Rebuilds the original 1880s, makes a chapel, a landing strip with a hangar and begins to build the ranch. It raises all the internal fences, initiating agriculture in the area with its own machinery and builds 2 tambos models for the time. In livestock, it continues with the legacy of Carlos Guerrero and the Angus breed.

    To help education in the town build and donate a school at the entrance of the estancia.

    In his last years he studied and worked tirelessly in radionics (radiation energies) to improve the environment of the soil, the crops, the raising and fattening of animals looking for non-chemical alternatives for the solutions of pests, diseases and balance of nature.

    He died in the city of Buenos Aires on October 29, 1997.