Rafael Spinola
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Rafael Spínola (1866 – 4 October 1901 in
Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
) was a writer, journalist, politician and public speaker from
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. Director of the well known cultura magazine ''
La Ilustración Guatemalteca ''La Ilustración Guatemalteca'' (''Guatemalan Illustration'') was a biweekly cultural magazine that was published in Guatemala from 1 July 1896 to 15 June 1898. At a time when only 5% of the Guatemalan population could read, this magazine had ex ...
'' in 1896 and 1897, was Secretary of Infrastructure in
Manuel Estrada Cabrera Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he was a strong ruler (dictator) who modernised the country's industry and transportat ...
first presidential term. He also created the "Fiestas Minervalias", which were a celebration to the studious youth and the president Estrada Cabrera rule. He was also the one that signed the treaty granting the American company "The Central American Improvement Co. Inc." to finish the Northern Railroad -which had been left unfinished after president
José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (24 December 1854 – 8 February 1898) was President of Guatemala from 15 March 1892 until his death on 8 February 1898. He was born in San Marcos, Guatemala and was nicknamed ''Reynita'', the diminutive form, bec ...
assassination on 8 February 1898–, which would be the stepping stone for the operations of the
United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
in Guatemala. He was the father of Guatemalan poetesse Magdalena Spínola (1896–1991).


Biography


Ancestors

Cavalry lieutenant colonel José María Espínola Baeza y Bravo arrived to Guatemala on 12 June 1822, in charge of six hundred men of the Mexican Army and under the command of
Vicente Filísola Vicente Filísola (born Vincenzo Filizzola; 1785 – 23 July 1850) was an Italian-born Spanish and Mexican military and political figure during the 19th century. He is most well known for his role in leading the short-lived Mexican annexation ...
. After Filísola returned to México the next year, colonel Espínola stayed in Guatemala because he met miss Mariana del Águila Escobar, whom he married and had three children with: José Vicente, Guadalupe and Mercedes Spínola del Águila. In Guatemala he changed his last name from Espínola to Spínola, which is the original spelling. Rafael Spínola was son of José Vicente Spínola del Águila and Isabel Orellana Corzo, who in turn was the granddaughter of Venezuelan doctor Narciso Esparragoza y Gallardo, who graduated from the Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Carlos in 1794 and who became the first anatomy doctor in Guatemala by royal decree of King Charles IV.


Education

Spínola graduated high school from Instituto Nacional Central para Varones, where he was classmate of pioneer Guatemalan photographer
Alberto G. Valdeavellano Alberto G. Valdeavellano (Guatemala City, 5 August 1861 - Guatemala City, 16 July 1928) was the first landscape and sports photographer of Guatemala. Biography Little is known about Valdeavellano family and personal life; his parents got marri ...
. In those years, he was known for his smart and sharp replies and jokes to his teachers, which made his classmates laugh without making the faculty angry. Strong and tall, he was also a vivacious and curious individual. In 1885, after the death of general
Justo Rufino Barrios Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reuni ...
on 2 April in
Chalchuapa Chalchuapa is a town and a municipality located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. The city of Chalchuapa is in a wide valley at 650 meters above sea level, and watered by the Pampe River. Overview It is situated 15 kilometers west ...
, the Nicaraguan colonel from the Guatemalan Army Rigoberto Cabezas started ''El Pueblo'' newspaper, where he tried to do healthy opposition to interim president general
Manuel Lisandro Barillas Manuel Lisandro Barillas Bercián (17 January 1845 – 7 April 1907) was a Guatemalan general and acting president of Guatemala from 6 April 1885 to 15 March 1886 and President from 16 March 1886 to 15 March 1892. He was born in Quetzaltenango, ...
; in this newspaper Spínola started his journalism career. In his first issue, Cabezas point out that opposition is the stand stone for a republican government and that, provided his newspaper reach its tenth issue, Barillas would have demonstrated he was worthy of having the Constitution modified to allow him run as president, even though he was the interim. Cabeza was expelled from Guatemala after only three issues of ''El Pueblo'', and Barillas modified the Constitution and became president for the 1886–1892 term. Following Cabezas exile, Spínola escaped from Guatemala and went into Mexico, where he had to do several menial jobs to survive; there, he met several important personalities of the time, including write and diplomat
Federico Gamboa Federico Gamboa Iglesias (22 December 1864 in Mexico City – 15 August 1939 in Mexico City) was a writer and diplomat from Mexico. He has been considered as one of the top representatives of Naturalism in México. Gamboa wrote novels, thea ...
, who in his memories tells about Spínola difficult ordeal. Spínola had to work in whichever job he could find, including a third category municipal clerk in
Orizaba Orizaba () is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census ...
,
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. Upon return to Guatemala, Spínola studied medicine in the
National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. Some national universities are associated with national cultural or po ...
, although he finally chose Literature, journalism and -above all- public speaking. In 1893 he was a representative in the National Assembly, a philosophy professor in the National Institute and was one of the main public speakers for the general
José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (24 December 1854 – 8 February 1898) was President of Guatemala from 15 March 1892 until his death on 8 February 1898. He was born in San Marcos, Guatemala and was nicknamed ''Reynita'', the diminutive form, bec ...
government. Among his most famous speeches were the one that he gave in the name of the National Assembly during the seventy second anniversary of the Independence of Central America on 15 September 1893, the one about general
Miguel García Granados Miguel García Granados y Zavala (29 September 1809 – 8 September 1878) was a Spanish-born Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1871 to 1873. Early life García Granados was born in El ...
when the remains of the former president were moved to the newly built
Guatemala City General Cemetery The Guatemala City General Cemetery was built in 1880, during general Justo Rufino Barrios presidency. Ruined by 1917-18 earthquakes, it never recovered its old splendor; originally it was exclusive for the elites and presidents, but gradually t ...
on 30 June 1894, and the one we pronounced in
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
celebrating the expulsion of
William Walker William Walker may refer to: Arts * William Walker (engraver) (1791–1867), mezzotint engraver of portrait of Robert Burns * William Sidney Walker (1795–1846), English Shakespearean critic * William Walker (composer) (1809–1875), American Ba ...
on 15 September 1895. Spínola married Florencia Strecker Frías, a resident of Mexico, who was a descendant of Lope Ruiz de Esparza,
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
nobleman from
Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...
and patriarch of the prominent Ruiz de Esparza family from Aguascalientes,
Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...
y Altos de
Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
.


''La Ilustración Guatemalteca''

From 1896 to 1897 Spínola was editor in chief of ''
La Ilustración Guatemalteca ''La Ilustración Guatemalteca'' (''Guatemalan Illustration'') was a biweekly cultural magazine that was published in Guatemala from 1 July 1896 to 15 June 1898. At a time when only 5% of the Guatemalan population could read, this magazine had ex ...
'', a biweekly cultural magazine that, even though it was only published until 1898, is to this day an important reference for the economic and political situation of Guatemala during the last year of general
José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (24 December 1854 – 8 February 1898) was President of Guatemala from 15 March 1892 until his death on 8 February 1898. He was born in San Marcos, Guatemala and was nicknamed ''Reynita'', the diminutive form, bec ...
government. ''La Ilustración Guatemalteca'' included extended articles about the
Exposición Centroamericana The Exposición Centroamericana (Central American Expo) was an industrial and cultural exposition that took place in Guatemala in 1897 and which was approved on 8 March 1894 by the National Assembly by Decree 253 by a suggestion made by presid ...
of 1897 –in which Spínola pronounced the inaugural speech– the demarcation of the international border with Mexico in 1897 and the economical crisis that resulted in the September 1897 revolts and the eventual assassination of president Reina Barrios on 8 February 1898.


Exposición Centroamericana

Spínola, as director of ''
La Ilustración Guatemalteca ''La Ilustración Guatemalteca'' (''Guatemalan Illustration'') was a biweekly cultural magazine that was published in Guatemala from 1 July 1896 to 15 June 1898. At a time when only 5% of the Guatemalan population could read, this magazine had ex ...
'' and professional speaker, pronounced the inaugural speech of the Exposition on 15 March 1897. His speech gives a complete idea of the large efforts that the Guatemalan government had to make in order to make the Exposition and the hopes that Reina Barrios had in its success. Summarizing it, Spínola welcomed the Central America nations that joined the event, and the other countries that presented their products and services: Germany, Belgium, Chile, Spain, the United States, France, England, Italy, Mexico, Peru and Russia. Then, he described the nature of the exhibitions: industrial and scientific inventions -among which the most important by far was electricity and its applications- and all kinds of artistic work. Afterwards, Spínola explained that this event was also a socioeconomic one, with the aim to address the main problem Guatemala faced at the time: the lack of civilization of the indigenous population; although he acknowledged that the Exposition by itself was not going to be able to solve such a complex problem, he pointed out that it was going to help to start solving it. Then, he explained that profit with the event was not the purpose of the government, but to present Central America's industry and services to international visitors. Finally, Spínola told the audience that there was a political goal from the Exposition: to serve as a pacific event to work toward the unification of the Central American republics.


Manuel Estrada Cabrera presidency

After president Reina Barrios assassination on 8 February 1898, Spínola left ''La Ilustración'' for ''La Idea Liberal'' where he worked for Estrada Cabrera's presidential campaign. Estrada Cabrera was then interim president, as he was the first designated by law in case of Reina Barrios death. In return for his extensive work in ''La Idea Liberal'' once Estrada Cabrera was elected president, he appointed Spínola as second secretary of Infrastructure on 2 October 1898. In January 1899,
Federico Gamboa Federico Gamboa Iglesias (22 December 1864 in Mexico City – 15 August 1939 in Mexico City) was a writer and diplomat from Mexico. He has been considered as one of the top representatives of Naturalism in México. Gamboa wrote novels, thea ...
arrived to Guatemala as Mexico ambassador and immediately set out to look for Spínola; in his memoirs, Gamboa wrote that Spínola kept his youthful presence and dressed casually and preferably with black of very dark clothes. By then it was an inseparable friend of Cuban poet and diplomat José Joaquín Palma, who was in charge of the Cuban consulate in Guatemala and had been a professor in the Instituto Nacional and director of the National Library. When Estrada Cabrera started his first official term on 15 March 1899, he appointed Spínola as Secretary of Infrastructure, who in that office made to important contributions for the Cabrera regime: he had the idea to celebrate the "
Fiestas Minervalias ''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to: Events *Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas * St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts *Fiestas ...
", and educational and propaganda event design to promote Estrada Cabrera's government overseas; and he also wrote and signed the treaty by which an American company got that concession of the Northern Railroad for 99 years, being the first of a series of damaging contract for Guatemala and eventually leading to settlement of the
United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
in that country.


First "Fiestas Minervalias"

By decree 604 of 29 October 1899, written by Estrada Cabrera himself, the celebration of "Fiestas Minervalias" was established, in order to close the school year; celebrations were to occur on the last Sunday of October, each year. Over the years, these celebrations had children and military parades, military exercises, and award ceremonies in the Temple of Minerva. After the official speeches, and the ceremonies, there was a lunch given by the elite ladies and, after the children celebrations, there were adult dancing and partying at night. In 1900, Spínola published the first edition of ''Moral razonada y lecturas escogidas'' (). The book, about morality and manners, had a fantastic reception and a second edition was published in 1928 and a third in 1961. About how that book came to be, Nicaraguan lawyer and write Juan M. Mendoza explained that they had several chats among the staff of the ''La Idea Liberal'' newspaper; among the staff were
Enrique Gómez Carrillo Enrique Gómez Carrillo (February 27, 1873 in Guatemala City – November 29, 1927 in Paris) was a Guatemalan literary critic, writer, journalist and diplomat, and the second husband of the Salvadoran-French writer and artist Consuelo Suncin d ...
, Spínola, Ramón A. Salazar, Máximo Soto Hall and other Guatemalan intellectuals, who frequently discussed literary topics. Here is where Spínola had the idea to write his book; furthermore, from their discussions he wrote the book almost in its entirety.


Death

Spínola died when he was 45 years old, on 4 October 1901, and therefore he did not see what the "
Fiestas Minervalias ''Fiesta'' (Spanish for "religious feast", "festival", or "party") may refer to: Events *Fiesta San Antonio, a 10-day event held every April in San Antonio, Texas * St. Peter's Fiesta, a five-day festival in Gloucester, Massachusetts *Fiestas ...
" became nor the strong influence and political power that the
United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
had in Guatemala, along with its subsidiary,
International Railways of Central America Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run. History Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San ...
. Spínola's wake took place in the Ministry that he was in charge of, presided by
Manuel Estrada Cabrera Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he was a strong ruler (dictator) who modernised the country's industry and transportat ...
; cabinet members, national representatives and diplomats were in attendance . After the ceremony, the funeral left for the
Guatemala City General Cemetery The Guatemala City General Cemetery was built in 1880, during general Justo Rufino Barrios presidency. Ruined by 1917-18 earthquakes, it never recovered its old splendor; originally it was exclusive for the elites and presidents, but gradually t ...
where there were more official speeches before he was finally buried. Since Spínola's wife had died a year earlier, his daughters - Magdalena and Stella, were split up: Stella went to live with her paternal grandparents and Magdalena was sent to live with her maternal grandparents. Magdalena's neighbor was
Miguel Ángel Asturias Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales (; October 19, 1899 – June 9, 1974) was a Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan poet-diplomat, novelist, playwright and journalist. Asturias helped establish Latin American literature's contribution to mainstream We ...
, who became her childhood friend and with whom she discussed their awakening love of literature. Asturias would later dedicate his first book to her.


See also

* * * * Antonio Macías del Real *
Exposición Centroamericana The Exposición Centroamericana (Central American Expo) was an industrial and cultural exposition that took place in Guatemala in 1897 and which was approved on 8 March 1894 by the National Assembly by Decree 253 by a suggestion made by presid ...
*
International Railways of Central America Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run. History Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San ...
*
José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (24 December 1854 – 8 February 1898) was President of Guatemala from 15 March 1892 until his death on 8 February 1898. He was born in San Marcos, Guatemala and was nicknamed ''Reynita'', the diminutive form, bec ...
* ''
La Ilustración Guatemalteca ''La Ilustración Guatemalteca'' (''Guatemalan Illustration'') was a biweekly cultural magazine that was published in Guatemala from 1 July 1896 to 15 June 1898. At a time when only 5% of the Guatemalan population could read, this magazine had ex ...
'' *
Manuel Estrada Cabrera Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he was a strong ruler (dictator) who modernised the country's industry and transportat ...


Notes and references


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


Works by Spínola

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spinola, Rafael 1866 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Guatemalan people Guatemalan politicians Guatemalan male short story writers Guatemalan short story writers Guatemalan male writers Members of the Congress of Guatemala Guatemalan journalists Male journalists Manuel Estrada Cabrera Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala alumni