Juan León Mera

1832–1894

1 standalone book

Juan León Mera Martínez (1832–1894) was an Ecuadorian essayist, novelist, politician, and painter. He was born in Ambato on June 28, 1832, and died there on December 13, 1894. His father, Pedro Antonio Mera Gómez, was a businessman, and his mother, Josefa Martínez Vásconez, raised him alone after his father abandoned her during her pregnancy. He spent his early years at "Los Molinos," a country property in Ambato, where his maternal grandmother rented the land to her brother Pablo Vásconez, a political activist. Mera received his early education at home, guided by his great-uncle and his uncle Nicolás Martínez, a doctor. At age twenty, he traveled to Quito to study painting with Antonio Salas. At age thirty-three, he co-created the Ecuadorian National Hymn with Antonio Neumane. His son, José Trajano Mera, became a poet, playwright, and diplomat.

Born

1832