Justo Sierra Méndez (January 26, 1848 – September 13, 1912), was a
Mexican prominent
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
writer, historian, journalist, poet and political figure during the
Porfiriato
, common_languages =
, religion =
, demonym =
, currency =
, leader1 = Porfirio Díaz
, leader2 = Juan Méndez
, leader3 = Porfirio Díaz
, leader4 ...
, in the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. He was a leading voice of the ''
Científico
The ''Científicos'' (Spanish: "scientists" or "those scientifically oriented") were a circle of technocratic advisors to President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz.
Steeped in the positivist "scientific politics", they functioned as part of his progra ...
s'', "the scientists" who were the intellectual leaders during the regime of
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
.
Life and career
He was the son of Mexican novelist
Justo Sierra O'Reilly
Justo Sierra O'Reilly (Tixcacal-Tuyú; 1814 in Yucatán – 1861 in Mérida, Yucatán) was a Mexican novelist and historian, the father of Mexican author and political figure Justo Sierra Méndez. Sierra O'Reilly was born in the southeastern Mexica ...
, who is credited with inspiring his son with the spirit of literature. Sierra moved to
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
at the age of 13 in 1861, the year of his father's death, and also, coincidentally, the year of the
French intervention in Mexico. Together with his fellow young students, Sierra responded with patriotic fervor to the invasion of his country, and became a lifelong militant liberal.
His most enduring works are sociopolitical histories (at times verging on memoirs) of the era of
Benito Juárez
Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Liberalism in Mexico, Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec peoples, Zapo ...
and
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
, particularly his political biography of Juárez and his ''Evolución política del pueblo mexicano''.
Antonio Caso
Antonio Caso Andrade (December 19, 1883 – March 6, 1946) was a Mexican philosopher and rector of the former ''Universidad Nacional de México'', nowadays known as the National Autonomous University of Mexico from December 1921 to August ...
is considered the definitive statement of the age of the Reform in Mexico. Sierra was elected a member of the
Mexican Academy of Language
The Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (variously translated as the Mexican Academy of Language, the Mexican Academy of the Language, the Mexican Academy of Letters, or glossed as the Mexican Academy of the Spanish Language; acronym AML) is the corr ...
in 1887, and served as the Academy's sixth director from 1910 until his death in 1912.
Public service
Elected to several terms as a representative in the federal Chamber of Deputies, Sierra also served the government in various posts. From 1905 to 1911, he agreed to serve as the
Secretary of Public Education
The Mexican Secretariat of Public Education ( in Spanish ''Secretaría de Educación Pública'', ''SEP'') is a federal government authority with cabinet representation and the responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation of ...
under the Díaz regime. However, he never made a secret of his liberal sympathies and his distaste for the politics of the authoritarian regime. After the overthrow of Díaz in May 1911 and the election of
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who became the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'etat in February 1 ...
at the outset of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
, Madero chose Sierra to serve as the Mexican ambassador to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Sierra died from an aneurysm in Madrid in 1912 while serving in his post. His remains were returned to Mexico, where president Madero presided over his magnificent funeral.
Historian
Justo Sierra made significant contributions to the writing of Mexican history. His texts on pre-revolutionary Mexico continued to be used in Mexican public schools even after the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
. President
Álvaro Obregón
Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 17 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) better known as Álvaro Obregón was a Sonoran-born general in the Mexican Revolution. A pragmatic centrist, natural soldier, and able politician, he became the 46th President of Me ...
's Minister of Public Education,
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities ...
republished Sierra's ''Historia Patria'' for use in schools.
[Thomas Benjamin, ''La Revolución: Mexico's Great Revolution as Memory, Myth, and History''. Austin: University of Texas Press 2000, p. 141.]
Selected works
*''Compendio de historia general'', México, 1878
*''Compendio de la historia de la antigüedad'', México, 1880
*''Confesiones de un pianista'', México, 1882
*''Historia general'', México, 1891
*''Cuentos románticos'', México, 1896, 1934, 1946
*''Juárez. Su obra y su tiempo'', México, 1905–1906
*''Historia de México. La Conquista. La Nueva España'', Madrid, 1917
*''Prosas'', México, 1917
*''Poemas'', México, 1917
*''Discursos'', México, 1918
*''Poesías, 1842-1912'', México, 1938
*''Evolución política del pueblo mexicano'', México, 1941
*''Justo Sierra. Prosas'', México, 1939
*''Obras completas'', XV vols., México, 1948-1949.
See also
*
Mexican literature
Mexican literature is one of the most prolific and influential of Spanish-language literatures along with those of Spain and Argentina. Found among the names of its most important and internationally recognized literary figures are authors Oc ...
References
Further reading
*Garciadiego Dantan, Javier. "De Justo Sierra a Vasconcelos. La Universidad Nacional durante la revolución mexicana." ''Historia Mexicana'', vol. 46. No. 4. Homenaje a don Edmundo O'Gorman (April–June 1997), pp. 769–819.
*
Hale, Charles A. ''Justo Sierra. Un liberal del Porfiriato''. Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica 1997.
* This article draws on th
biography of Sierraby the Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (in Spanish), and on Sierra's works.
* The
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
published his complete works with the direction of
Agustín Yáñez
Agustín Yáñez Delgadillo (May 4, 1904 in Guadalajara, Jalisco – January 17, 1980 in Mexico City) was a Mexican writer and politician who served as Governor of Jalisco and Secretary of Public Education during Gustavo Díaz Ordaz's preside ...
in the 1940s.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra, Justo
1848 births
1912 deaths
Liberalism in Mexico
Porfiriato
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)
Historians of Mexico
19th-century Mexican poets
Mexican male poets
20th-century Mexican historians
Mexican Secretaries of Education
People from Campeche
University and college founders
Politicians from Campeche City
Members of the Mexican Academy of Language
Ambassadors of Mexico to Spain
Mexican people of Irish descent
19th-century Mexican historians