Ignacio Manuel Altamirano

Ignacio Manuel Altamirano was a Mexican writer, journalist, teacher and politician who played a key role in the development of Mexican literature and liberalism in the 19th century. He was born in Tixtla, Guerrero, of indigenous Chontal Maya heritage. He learned Spanish and studied at the Instituto Literario de Toluca, where he became a disciple of Ignacio Ramírez. He participated in the revolution of Ayutla against the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna and fought in the war of Reform and the French intervention. After the military conflicts, he dedicated himself to education, journalism and politics. He founded several newspapers and magazines, such as El Correo de México, El Renacimiento, El Federalista, La Tribuna and La República. He was also a public prosecutor, magistrate, president of the Supreme Court and consul of Mexico in various European countries. He was president of the Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística from 1881 to 1889. He wrote novels, short stories, poems and essays that reflected his liberal ideals and his interest in the national identity and culture of Mexico. Some of his most famous works are Clemencia, La Navidad en las montañas, El Zarco and Rimas. He died in San Remo, Italy, in 1893, due to complications from diabetes or tuberculosis. He is considered one of the most influential and representative figures of Mexican literature and liberalism.