Arboleda family
The Arboleda family is Colombian political and aristrocratic family originally from the city of Popayán, which had its period of greatest influence between the 17th and 20th centuries in the South American country and whose origins date back to the Arboleya region in Asturias, Spain. Among its numerous and influential members are poets, businessmen, writers, musicians and politicians, including three presidents of Colombia and a fourth president associated with the family by marriage ties. Origin. The common trunk of the Arboleda tree comes from a French constable who fought against the Moors and participated in the Battle of  Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. In 1647, King Philip IV of Spain granted the coat of arms to Captain Jacinto de Arboleda y Ortiz, a native of Granada, the first member of this family to start lineage in the Americas, after initially settling in Anserma, Caldas and later in Popayán, a city to which the family has been historically linked ever since. Important locations. Some of the places most closely linked to the history of the family are the Church of Santo Domingo in Popayán, whose construction and endowment was carried out at the initiative of the Arboleda family , specifically from the brothers Pedro and Francisco Arboleda y Salazar in 1694. Their descendants helped with upkeep. Another noteworthy location is the Japio Estate, located between Caloto and Santander de Quilichao, acquired by the family at a public auction after the Suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1767. Currently, the estate is home to livestock, crops, and a business center. Another property linked to the history of the family is the manor house that belonged to Julián Arboleda Arrachea and Gabriela Pérez de Arroyo y Valencia. It was acquired in the 20th century by the Curia of Popayán. The  stately residence was designed by in the second half of the 18th century and was adapted as the headquarters of the Popayán Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art in 1977. It was declared a National Monuments of Colombia in 1996. Historical heritage. Most of the extensive documentary collection belonging to the Arboleda family is preserved in the historical archives of several Colombian universities including the University of Cauca, Pontifical Xavierian University, and the University of La Sabana. Other familial documents are kept in the Luis Ángel Arango Library and the National Library of Colombia in Bogotá. They have been donated over  the years by family members Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid and Andrés Caicedo. The Venezuelan leader Simón Bolívar, known as "The Liberator of America", gave the wedding ring of his wife, María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaysa (who died 8 months after their wedding) to his friends José Rafael Arboleda Arroyo and Matilde Pombo O'Donnell, the parents of Granadine Confederation President Julio Arboleda Pombo, on his way through Popayán and after staying at the Japio Estate. Notable members. Several members of the Arboleda family have stood out in the national life of Colombia, including presidents historically associated with the Colombian Conservative  Party and the city of Popayán. Other members. Other members cover a wide spectrum of professions, with a considerable number of public figures, lawyers, intellectuals, priests and statesmen. Its most notable members include (in chronological order from the 17th century to the present):