Valparaíso was first a village and then hacienda along with the San Mateo and a few others formed the extensive county of Valparaíso, property of the counts of the same title one of them Don Fernando de la Campa y Cos, was a very rich man also involved in philanthropy building infrastructure for the Catholic Church. Later in 1824, Valparaiso becomes a municipality. On March 13, 1845, Valparaíso was declared a villa and in 1918 it became an independent municipality in accord with the Mexican constitution.[citation needed]