José de la Borda

José de la Borda was born either in the province of Jaca in the then kingdom of Aragon (Spain) or in the French province of Béarn in either 1699 or 1700. Borda was the second son of Pierre Laborde, an officer in the army of Louis XIV of France and a Spaniard named Magdalena Sanchez. José's older brother, Francisco, left Europe for Mexico in 1708. Eight years later, he wrote for José to join him to work with him at the La Lajuela mine he founded in Tehuilotepec, near Taxco. At the time, the Taxco area had the richest mining in Mexico, producing iron, silver, gold and more. José arrived to Mexico in 1716, when he was only 17. Francisco died on January 5, 1744, and José inherited La Lajuela. In 1720, José married Teresa Verdugo, the daughter of Captain Verdugo and the younger sister of Francisco's wife. The union produced two children, Ana María and Manuel (1727-1791). Teresa died in 1727, shortly after the birth of Manuel. ==Mining career==

After working with his brother for a number of years, José set off to find new mineral strikes, arriving to Tlalpujahua in 1734. Here he founded a mine that was very successful. In 1738, his brother Francisco died and Borda inherited his brother's property. Deeper exploration of the original La Lajuela mine yielded an abundance of silver. It is from this strike that Borda first funded the building of the Santa Prisca Church. When this mine had nearly run out, he discovered a richer one in the Taxco called San Ignacio. With this money, he rebuilt and expanded the Santa Prisca Church. However, the San Ignacio mine produced for only nine years. By 1760, Borda's mines had run out, forcing him to explore in Real de Monte and then in Chontalpan in 1761. By this time, he was practically bankrupt. Borda mortgaged the last major possession he owned in Taxco, the richly ornate Santa Prisca Church, in order to finance an expedition to Zacatecas. Once there, he initially worked in a mine called “La Quebradilla” but it did not produce as much as hoped and payments were coming due on the mortgage. With the last of his money, he opened the mine “La Esperanza” which again made him a wealthy man. With this new mine, Borda became the richest man in Zacatecas, as he had been before in Taxco. He was named a regent of Zacatecas. By 1776, the aging Borda was affected by mercury poisoning and other illnesses. He wanted to return to Taxco, but his son Manuel convinced him to retire to the family house in Cuernavaca, where he thought the climate would be better. Here, Manuel was already living and practicing as a priest. Just before Borda died in 1778, his son administered last rites. In total, Borda's earnings from his mines in Mexico totaled 40 million pesos, and at the heights of his career was the richest man in Mexico and perhaps the world. ==Architectural works==

Borda is remembered mostly through three architectural works which remain to this day: the Santa Prisca Church in Taxco, the Borda House on Madero Street in Mexico City and the Borda Garden in Cuernavaca. The most lavish and monumental of these is the Santa Prisca Church. Built between 1751 and 1758, Borda hired the best artists, such as Miguel Cabrera, as well as the best artisans for the project. As he completely financed the building (at a cost of $471,572 pesos The church's organ is made with fine wood, and is still played 250 years after it was brought from Germany. The last is the Borda House located in Mexico City on Madero Street in the historic center. Originally the building encompassed an entire city block and was supposed to rival the palaces of Hernán Cortés and his descendants. It was also a present from Borda to his wife after he regained his wealth from his mines in Zacatecas. The building has two ironwork balconies on the two upper floors that went around the entire structure, allowing Borda to walk around the block without ever leaving his house. Since Borda's death, this building has been partitioned and most of it is lost except for a small section on Madero Street. The remains of the double balcony are still present. ==Legacy==

God gives to La Borda and La Borda gives to God, reads his family's motto, explaining his generosity to the Roman Catholic Church. ==See also==