Justo Sierra O'Reilly (Tixcacal-Tuyú; 1814 in

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...

– 1861 in

Mérida, Yucatán Mérida () is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and the largest city in southeastern Mexico. The city is also the seat of the eponymous Municipality. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula, about 35 km (22 ...

) 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, 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, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

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

Caste War of Yucatán The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Native Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. The latter had long held political and economic control of the region. A lengthy w ...

. 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: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

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, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

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 (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

. 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. Stephens was a pivotal figure in the rediscovery of Maya civilization throughout Middle America and in the planning of the Panama railroad. ...

's works on Yucatán.

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 Mexican people of Irish descent

See also

Sources