Justo Sierra O'Reilly (Tixcacal-Tuyú; 1814–1861) was a Mexican novelist and historian, the father of Mexican author and political figure

Justo Sierra Justo Sierra Méndez (January 26, 1848 – September 13, 1912), was a Mexican prominent liberal writer, historian, journalist, poet and political figure during the Porfiriato, in the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth ...

Méndez. Sierra O'Reilly was born in the southeastern Mexican state of

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

, his father-in-law Santiago Méndez Ibarra was the governor there in 1847, in the middle of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

(in which the state of Yucatán declared its neutrality) and at the outbreak of the

Caste War of Yucatán The Caste War of Yucatán or ''ba'atabil kichkelem Yúum'' (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous Maya peoples, Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. Th ...

. In September of that year, he went to the United States as a negotiator on behalf of his father-in-law's government, to request U.S. military aid against the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

rebels (who seemed, at that moment, poised to take over the peninsula), and to offer the possibility of U.S. annexation of Yucatán in exchange. His attempts at diplomacy on behalf of the quasi-independent peninsula went nowhere, and by the time he returned home in 1848, Mexico had lost the northern half of its territory to the U.S. but had also solved its differences with Yucatán, and Sierra O'Reilly found himself with an unemployed father-in-law and no government position for himself. It was then, at the age of 34, that he turned to literature. The chapters of his popular melodramatic novel, ''La Hija del Judío,'' a historical novel in the style of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

about the star-crossed love of the daughter of a Jewish merchant in colonial Mexico, were published in installments in ''El Fénix,'' a newspaper that he founded in

Campeche Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...

. Published years later in book form, the novel sold well all over Latin America. His other works include the pirate novel ''El Filibustero'', the travel journal ''Impresiones de un viaje a los Estados Unidos de América y al Canadá'' (1851), and numerous writings on the regional history of Yucatán such as ''Teogonía de los antiguos indios'' and ''Importancia de un Museo de Antigüedades'', as well as Spanish translations of

John Lloyd Stephens John Lloyd Stephens (November 28, 1805October 13, 1852) was an American explorer, writer, and diplomat. He was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America (Americas), Middle America and in the planning of th ...

's works on Yucatán. He died in 1861 in Mérida.

Sources

Breve historia de Campeche
by Carlos Justo Sierra * "Un James Bond Novohispano" from ''Revista Conciencia Online'', Año 2, Número 7, noviembre de 2001 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra, Justo 1814 births 1861 deaths Mexican male novelists Writers from Yucatán (state) 19th-century Mexican novelists 19th-century male writers

See also

Sources