Raymundo Cámara Luján (May 14, 1850 – April 15, 1919) was a prominent Mexican entrepreneur, banker, landowner, and philanthropist who played a significant role in the economic expansion that the Yucatán Peninsula experienced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

His business interests spanned various sectors, including railways,[1] banking,[2] breweries,[3] and the exploitation of various raw materials such as chewing gum, tobacco, cocoa, cotton, bananas, vanilla, and forest resources.

[4] Cámara was renowned for his progressive labor practices, exemplified by implementing reforms like establishing a minimum wage, an 8-hour workday, worker mobility, rural schools, and the right to unionize.

Despite facing criticism over the perceived costliness of the reforms, Cámara's efforts proved successful, significantly improving the lives of numerous workers in Yucatán.

Notably, his children Nicolás and Alfredo Cámara Vales achieved prominent political careers as Governors of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, respectively, while his son-in-law, José María Pino Suárez, served as Vice President of Mexico.

Once again associated with Escalante, Cámara was a co-owner of a 2,627 km2 property in Hacienda Santa María in Quintana Roo (Compañía Agrícola del Cuyo y Anexas, S.A.), roughly the size of Luxembourg.

Influenced by his son-in-law, José María Pino Suárez, a lawyer and social reformer, Cámara implemented progressive labor practices, providing favorable working conditions for the workers in his mills.

Cámara's progressive ideals were driven by his devout Catholicism and belief in treating workers with respect, while also recognizing the practical benefits of improved conditions in terms of productivity and profits.

Although his reforms faced criticism from some who deemed them costly and detrimental to the henequen industry, they ultimately succeeded in enhancing the lives of thousands of workers in Yucatán.

Notably, they played a pivotal role in financing the construction of the railway connecting Mérida and Valladolid, later expanding this network to include Conkal to Progreso.

However, by 1904, the operations of the firm led by Ponce Solís and Cámara drew to a halt.The sudden disappearance of the company can be attributed to a combination of political and economic factors.

Likewise, for self-consumption by its inhabitants, corn, rice, beans, and all other available natural products were produced on the mentioned estate [...] The dye wood exported by the Company was in demand in the European textile manufacturing markets of Hamburg, Le Havre, and Liverpool.

The incursion of this group into the economy of Yucatán was interpreted as part of the actions to curb the expansion of Yucatecan henequen producers, a aspect that was reinforced with the creation of the Territory of Quintana Roo.

Amid the Panic of 1907, a severe economic crisis on an international level, both banks were greatly affected and were forced to merge under the supervision of the Ministry of finance, forming the Banco Peninsular Mexicano, S.A. (currently part of Banamex).

María del Carmen's brother, Agustín Vales Castillo, was a prominent banker, entrepreneur, and landowner who held the position of political leader of Mérida during the Porfiriato.

Nicolás and Alfredo Cámara Vales were politicians closely associated with the Maderista movement and held the positions of Governor of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, respectively.

[21] They were also the grandparents of Ismael Moreno Pino, a jurist and diplomat who participated in the negotiation of the Tlatelolco Treaty, which prohibited nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.