 He married Isabel Gómez Langenheim, and in 1896 commissioned a rural residence with a design based on her preference for the works of Sir Walter Scott; the Rafael Obligado Castle, near Ramallo, Buenos Aires, is one of the premier estancias in the Pampas region.Obligado was one of the founders of the Department of Philosophy and Literature of the University of Buenos Aires, where he served as the Assistant Dean on several occasions; in 1909 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university.He died in Mendoza, Argentina, in 1920.