Rafael María Baralt y Pérez (3 July 1810 - 4 January 1860) was a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n diplomat and one of the country's most famed writers, philologists, and historians. He was the first Latin American to occupy a chair at the

Real Academia Española The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...

. Born in

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

on 3 July 1810, he suffered an untimely death in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

due to the stresses and aggravations suffered during services rendered to his beloved country of birth. Baralt was the son of Miguel Antonio Baralt, who helped build the Baralt Theater in Maracaibo, and Ana Francisca Pérez, who was Dominican. He died on 4 January 1860, and is buried in the

National Pantheon of Venezuela The National Pantheon of Venezuela (''Panteón Nacional de Venezuela'') is a final resting place for national heroes. The Pantheon (Latin ''Pantheon'', from Greek ''Pantheon,'' meaning " Temple of all the Gods") was created in the 1870s on th ...

Books

* ''Resumen de la Historia de Venezuela'' (1840) * ''Adiós a la Patria'' (1842).

External links

* 1810 births 1860 deaths Venezuelan male writers People from Maracaibo Members of the Royal Spanish Academy Venezuelan philologists Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela Venezuelan people of Dominican Republic descent {{Venezuela-writer-stub