David Joaquín Guzmán
Encyclopedia
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
scientist, archeologist, museum curator and educator.
Early life and education
Son of the general Joaquín Eufrasio GuzmánJoaquín Eufrasio Guzmán
Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán was President of El Salvador 15 February 1845 - 1 February 1846.This Central American statesman was born in Cartago, Costa Rica, in 1801 and died in San Miguel, Salvador, about 1875. In the dissensions between the Federal and Centralist parties, Guzman joined the former, and...
, that was President of El Salvador
President of El Salvador
This page contains a list of Presidents of El Salvador.-Heads of State of El Salvador within the Federal Republic of Central America :*Pedro Barriere : 21 September 1821 - 28 November 1821*José Matías Delgado : 28 Nov 1821 - 9 February 1823...
, he became a Bachelor of Philosophy, at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. During his university studies he adopted the principles of European liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. In 1862, he travelled to Europe and in 1869 he received the rank of Doctor of Medicine in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Career
In 1870 he returned to El Salvador, and the following year he was chosen to represent the Constituent National Assembly, summoned by the then president Santiago González. His service in the Constituent Assembly in the capital was a short one, and he soon returned to his native San MiguelSan Miguel, El Salvador
San Miguel is the fourth most populous city in El Salvador after Santa Ana and Soyapango and the second most important after San Salvador. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality...
where he dedicated himself to scientific research. He initiated a series of geological investigations and undertook the botanical studies of classifying the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of the north of San Miguel and Chalatenango
Chalatenango
Chalatenango can refer to:* the Chalatenango Department in El Salvador* the city Chalatenango in El Salvador...
.
In 1872, Guzmán served under the cabinet of President González, as an Undersecretary of Public Instruction and Outer Relations. In 1874 he helped establish the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de San Salvador (School of Arts and Offices) in San Salvador. That same year, when treating the epidemic of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in some areas of the country, Guzmán headed the campaign of vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
, promoted by the state.
In 1875, Guzmán and Darío González organized an expedition of geological investigation into residues of the Los Frailes River, southwest of Ilobasco
Ilobasco
Ilobasco is a municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador. It is located 30 miles northeast of the capital, San Salvador....
. During this exploration, they discovered fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of Mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
.
Between 1881 and 1887, Guzmán worked as a university professor of medicine and botany at the University of El Salvador
University of El Salvador
The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador is the oldest and one of the most prominent university institutions in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country...
. On October 9 1883, on the initiative of Guzmán, president Rafael Zaldívar
Rafael Zaldívar
Rafael Zaldívar was President of El Salvador from 1 May 1876 until 21 June 1885. It was under his administration that liberal reforms abolished the existence of collectively owned ejidos and tierras comunales throughout the country...
opened the National Museum of El Salvador, to display the national collections related to archaeology, history and fine arts. Being responsible for its establishment and much of its content, Guzmán became the first director of the museum. In 1886 he was elect deputy to the Constituent National Assembly summoned by Francisco Menéndez
Francisco Menéndez
Francisco Menéndez was Provisional President of El Salvador 22 June 1885 to 1 March 1887, thenPresident of El Salvador 1 March 1887 until his death 22 June 1890....
. In the Constituent Assembly, Guzmán promoted the adoption of legislation according to the liberal principles which he had encountered during his early period in Europe.
In 1891, Guzmán travelled to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
to head a scientific expedition. Between 1896 and 1898, he resided in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, where on impulse, he founded an anthropology museum.
In 1916, Guzmán won a literary contest, summoned by the state under president Carlos Melendez, to create an Oration to the Salvadoran Flag.
During his life, Guzmán wrote journalistic poetry and articles that were compiled in various volumes. Most notably, his "Escogidas works" (Obras Escogidas) were published after his death. The museum that founded was named in its honor, the National Museum of Anthropology is named Dr. David Joaquin Guzmán".