The so-called Fernández Barragán family originated in the 18th century, when Gabriel Fernández de Lima del Castillo y Domínguez settled in Coscatlán, New Spain, and married María Teresa de Jáuregui Barragán in 1735, thus officially changing his last name. He indulged in several activities, including as a muleteer, loan shark and a successful merchant, selling, amongst other things, alcoholic drinks. Gabriel had several children, and only Felipe Santiago and Juana Fernández de Lima were considered legitimate. Gabriel died moneyless and in disgrace, but Felipe was trained in dealing with family business and inherited about 1,500 pesos nonetheless.[3]
Felipe joined José de Escandón militia and married twice with families related with the Andrada Moctezuma family, the most powerful family from the region. In 1755 he married Ana María de los Dolores Trejo y Sáenz, and in 1782 he married María Faustina Ortiz de Zárate. Together with his half-brother, José Amaranto, he opened the Casa Comercial del Valle del Maíz, where he sold several imported goods and saw his money grow. In the 1770s, Felipe left their entrepreneurship and opened several selling points scattered in New Spain, thus creating his own merchant route. He was also part of bigger routes, from Querétaro and Mexico City. From 1777 on, Felipe joined the royal order, thus gaining money over the taxes in the region of Valle del Maíz, and later other regions as well. Thus, he came to be known as an important investor with a lot of money in his hands. He mostly invested in Ríoverde and Santiago de los Valles, where he became an important land owner and dedicated his lands for sugarcane plantation. He kept collecting taxes until December 1793, when he left for political pressure for supposedly hiding his real profits from the Government.[3]
José Florencio Fernández de Lima del Castillo Jáuregui y Barragán Trejo Sáenz y Torres, son of Felipe Barragán, married an indigenous woman, Rita de Aguilar, thus creating conflicts with his father. He joined the militias to become independent. Despite that, he did receive inheritance from his father and used the money for his social ascension. In 1780, he became the leader of the Ríoverde mail system and kept serving the crown through his military service, but he lived under the shadow of his father. After Felipe's death, most of his fortune was split amongst his six children and José became the leader of family business. During his time as head of the family, the Spanish Crown tightened their control over the region, and he kept serving as military, being nominated as lieutenant colonel. His family was also officially recognized by the Crown and he became a congressman of the Cortes of Cádiz, representing San Luis Potosí.[3]
José didn't have any male inheritors, and his daughter married Paulo Verástegui, thus losing his surname. Felipe did have other children, but they created other family nucleus. Thus, the Fernández Barragán family ended in 1811, with José's death.[3]
- Gabriel Barragán (1693–1761): Bandit, merchant and muleteer, responsible for the creation of the Fernández Barragán family in New Spain.
- Felipe Barragán (1733–1796): Captain, merchant and land owner, he became one of the richest men from New Spain.
- José Barragán (1758–1812): Military, leader of the Fernández Barragán family.