Machuca Tile

WHO WE ARE

For over 120 years, Machuca Tile has been the pioneer of handmade cement tiles in the Philippines. We are a family-owned cement tile manufacturing company, tracing its beginnings to as far back as 1903. Through the years, we’ve gathered a record of the company’s origins and its journey to the present day. Today, the company is managed by the Machuca family’s 4th generation, humbly growing and nurturing the name that Filipinos have come to associate with high-quality decorative cement tiles.

HISTORY

Jose Machuca y Romeo, the founder of Machuca and Company, and the namesake of the “Machuca tile”, is the name Filipinos have historically attributed to decorative patterned tiles. In 1870, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Colegio de Cabra in Cordoba. Four years later, in 1874, he finished law in Granada. He arrived in the Philippines in 1875 at a relatively young age of 17. In practicing law, Machuca first became a recorder in the Real Audiencia of Manila, before being assigned as a Judge of the Court of First Instance in Bataan, Albay, and Cebu. He also served as assistant fiscal of the Audiencia Territorial of Cebu, and later as president of the Real Audiencia of Manila.

“MACHUCA”

The surname Machuca traces its origins since at least the 15th century. It appears to have come from the Spanish word machar, which means “to grind”, “to hammer”, or “to pound.” This suggests that the family must have been originally characterized as artisans, likely as metalsmiths or stonecutters. Both industries were evidently vital for the tile industry. In addition, Machuca’s hometown of Seville, as well as the sites of his education (Cordoba and Granada), were all known for producing mosaic tiles. It is not difficult to imagine how the young Machuca may have been inspired by the surviving relics of azulejos, and the reemerging Spanish tile industry during his time. Initially, the original name of his company was always thought to be Mosaicos Machuca or Mosaicos de Machuca, which was attested to be founded in 1900. However, available documents show that company has first been known as Barretto, Machuca and Company (Barretto, Machuca y Compania).