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undertaking, don Berengario, don Pedro and don Guillermo
Rabasa were awarded many honors and lands. Among the latter
was the region of the Rabasada, a wooded area near Barce­
lona, from where they had come. The name Rabasada is
derived from "rabassa," which in Catalonian signifies "tree
stump." The family crest pictures a green tree stump set
2
on a field of gold.
As the name Rabasa is uncommon, the family believes
that from one of these three brothers descended Jose Antonio
Rabasa. Wanting to try his fortune in America, he immigrated
to New Orleans in the early years of the nineteenth century.
Many of his family were residing there at the time. Also
living in the Spanish colony of New Orleans was the family
of Jose Estevanell, a Catalonian who had migrated to Chiapas,
Mexico to go into business. When the Spaniards were expelled
from Mexico in l82h , he moved with his family to New Orleans.
Jose Antonio, father of Emilio, went into partner­
ship with Jose Estevanell to establish an import-export
company and later married his daughter Teresa. Sometime in
the l8U0's, they were permitted to return to Chiapas where
Jose Antonio expanded their business activities throughout
the entire state. In addition, he bought a ranch near
2 Ibid.