Our history

In the 1820s Manuel Aguilar Chacón established the Bufete Aguilar, Costa Rica’s first law firm. The firm was ‘full service’, catering to ‘the wealthiest proprietors and the most substantial industrial companies’. The cross border, regional outlook was already present – Don Manuel graduated in Nicaragua, practiced in Guatemala and in Costa Rica, married a woman from El Salvador, and was an active politician in the Central American federation integrationist efforts. He served for a time as head of state, and was a businessman, too, investing in mining and coffee.

His son, Mauro Aguilar, re-opened the firm upon Don Manuel’s death, and himself left a significant legacy, taking part in the enactment of important legislation as the principal minister for Costa Rica’s national and Hispanic hero Juan Rafael Mora Porras. What remains from the Bufete Aguilar rests today in our possession.

The history of the Castillo family is equally illustrious. Bernal Diaz del Castillo helped found Guatemala in 1524. He settled there, and late in life wrote an acclaimed book called La Verdadera Historia de la Conquista de la Nueva España (The True Story of the Conquest of New Spain), perhaps the most famous narrative of that historical event.

In 1876, two Castillo brothers founded what is now known as Cerveceria Centroamericana, the oldest and largest brewery in Central America. The company recently celebrated its 130th anniversary and has become a very important element of Guatemala’s identity. It has grown into one of the largest business conglomerates in the region, meaning the Castillo name is inevitably associated with industry and business. Castillo Love is one branch of the Castillo family, with a strong presence in the finance and legal sectors. It is the result of the union between a Castillo and an American from Pennsylvania.