Who was Enrique Creel Cuilty?
Enrique Creel (1854-1931) is a historical figure related to the region of Chihuahua, Mexico. He was an industrialist, politician and one of the main leaders of the region in the 20th century. He was governor of Chihuahua from 1904 to 1906 and from 1907 to 1910 and was Secretary of Foreign Affairs during the government of Porfirio Díaz from 1910 to 1911. He was also founder and president of the Mexican Central Bank. His main economic activity was the logging industry, and he was the owner of several logging companies in the Chihuahua region, including the Chihuahua Wood Company, which became one of the main companies in the region. He also became Vice President of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway company, in charge of the construction of the Chihuahua-Creel railway section.
Enrique Creel played an important role in the politics of the region. During his political career, he served as a federal deputy and governor of Chihuahua. As a historical figure, Enrique Creel is known mainly for his political economic activity, where it is important to mention that at that time , indigenous policies, such as the Indian Law of 1906 (also known as the "Creel Law") or the edict of the Law for the "Improvement of the Tarahumara Race they were an important part of regional and national politics and it is said that Enrique Creel was behind them to a greater or lesser degree.
In relation to the town that is now known as "Creel, Chihuahua", in honor of him, who was governor of Chihuahua at that time (1907), the year in which the railway line reached the previously known ranchería As "Seegorachi", the town was officially inaugurated on May 26, 1907 as a station for the Kansas City-Mexico and Oriente Railway, and baptized as "Creel Station". It is also said that it was Enrique Creel himself who promoted its creation as a town to house the workers of his logging company.
Currently, Creel is an important tourist destination in the Chihuahua region, known for its natural landscapes, the Rarámuri culture and its proximity to the Copper Canyon National Park.
Enrique Creel was a figure who acted according to his time and who, like all others, with his lights and shadows, influenced what we now know as Mexico as a country; Chihuahua as a state and the Sierra Tarahumara as a region.
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We leave you sources and some works that talk about the subject for your further information.
Burgess, G. and D. Burgess. (2014). The challenge of the Sierra Tarahumara: The construction of the Chihuahua to the Pacific Railway. New Mexico: Barranca Press.
González, C. and R. León. (1994). “The face of a regional economy. Enrique C. Creel and the development of Chihuahua, 1880-1910. In B. Rojas (coord.). Power and money. Groups and regions of Mexico in the 19th century (pp. 305-329). Mexico: Center for Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology.
Sariego, J. L. (2008). The Sierra Tarahumara: journeys and thoughts. enah-Chihuahua collection. Mexico: National Institute of Anthropology and History / National Council of Science and Technology.
Sariego, J. L., and A. García (eds.). (2016). Creel. Brief social history of a magical town. Mexico: National Institute of Anthropology and History.
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