History
The herd descends from the one formed in the late 18th century by don Julián de Fuentes with cattle from Salamanca and Jijona. It was acquired by don Vicente Martínez, who, after several crossbreedings, bought the stud bull "Diano" from don Eduardo Ibarra in 1904. In 1925 don Antonio Pérez-Tabernero bought don Pedro Fernández Martínez's share from the heirs of don Vicente Martínez, registering it in the name of his wife, doña María Montalvo, and adopting the brand and colours it still carries today.
On the death of doña María Montalvo in 1942, the ranch was announced under her heirs' name. In 1967 it was announced under the name of don Juan María Pérez-Tabernero Montalvo, who passed it in 1984 to his son don Juan Ignacio, who announced it as "Montalvo". In the 1980s, Mr. Juan Mari began crossbreeding with cattle from don Juan Pedro Domecq, and in 1994 Mr. Juan Ignacio acquired cattle from Daniel Ruiz and "Zalduendo", the bloodline that predominates in the ranch today.
Calzadilla de Mendigos
The estate where the ranch's mother cows and stud bulls currently graze is Calzadilla de Mendigos. This estate comes from the Sánchez family, the maternal branch of the current owner. In the early 20th century a testing ring (plaza de tientas) was built beside the stream and the stone bridge. A stone farmhouse was also built on high ground overlooking a wide expanse of dehesa, crossed by what was once the Cañada Real de la Plata, which along this stretch coincides with the Camino de Santiago, in what is known as the Ruta Jacobea de la Plata.
The first of the "Sánchez" family to settle here was Mr. Arturo, who later exchanged the estate and its herds with his brother Mr. Matías (of Terrubias). Mr. Matías Sánchez bought the Trespalacios herd, of Veragua origin, in 1913, and on his death (1929) his children Ignacio, Arturo, Ángel, Antonio Luis and Purificación Sánchez y Sánchez divided the ranch between them, with Ignacio the only one to continue with his share in 1932. It is worth noting that at that time the role of head herdsman (mayoral y ahijador) was held by the great-grandfather of José Antonio Martín Sánchez, who holds the position today — meaning four consecutive generations of the same family have held this role on this estate.
After the death of Mr. Ignacio Sánchez y Sánchez in 1969, his heirs changed the course of the herd grazing at Calzadilla, since Mr. Juan Mari Pérez-Tabernero, after marrying Mrs. Soledad Sánchez y Sánchez, Mr. Ignacio's daughter, brought his ranch's mother cows there, and they have grazed at Calzadilla de Mendigos ever since.
Linejo
The ranch's other location is Linejo. Right in the heart of the Salamanca countryside (campo charro), it offers abundant, high-quality pasture for the herd's upkeep and development. This is where the male cattle are kept from the time they are branded until they leave the ranch, except for those that return to Calzadilla as stud bulls.
This has been the ranch's home estate since Mr. Juan Mari moved here from San Fernando, taking charge of the part of the ranch that Mr. Antonio Pérez held in the name of his wife, Mrs. María Montalvo, which Mr. Juan Mari inherited from Mr. Antonio in 1965, when he divided his estate among his four children a year before his death. At the time, Mr. Juan Mari was forty-five, and for several seasons his "Martínez" bulls were favoured by the leading bullfighters of the day.
In 1969 the ranch achieved its first major triumph in Madrid, with Paquirri and Miguelín, and from then on came several years of success alongside the top-ranked matadors, such as El Viti, Gregorio Sánchez, El Cordobés, Antonio Bienvenida, Andrés Vázquez, Palomo Linares, José Mari Manzanares and others. In the mid-1980s, when the ranch was going through a rough patch, Mr. Juan Mari introduced new blood with several stud bulls from Juan Pedro Domecq and Jandilla, which brought greater mobility and refinement to the type of bull, as the herd had become somewhat coarse in type.
Later, in 1993, after the death of Mr. Juan Mari, Mr. Juan Ignacio acquired several batches of cows from Daniel Ruiz and Zalduendo, and has since kept adding stud bulls from Daniel Ruiz. Naturally, after more than 20 years, it can be considered a ranch with a character of its own, gradually regaining a prominent position and earning its place on the important bullfighting posters of Spain and France.