Domingo Antonio de Lara
Domingo Antonio de Lara y Aguilar (born August 30, 1783 in San Salvador , † 1837 or 1844 ) was a Salvadoran aviation pioneer and politician .
Life
He was born in San Salvador as the son of the former mayor Domingo Antonio de Lara and his wife Ana Petrona Aguilar . He grew up with his brothers and a sister.
From 1795 Domingo Antonio was a student at the Royal and Pontifical University of San Carlos in Guatemala City , where he studied natural sciences and humanities.
In 1809 he built the first aircraft in El Salvador. Its construction was a simple glider made of wood and linen with which he undertook the first flights from Salvadoran hills. Domingo Antonio improved his aircraft and is said to have flown a distance of 1,600 meters for the first time in what is now the National Zoo of San Salvador. He presented his flight demonstrations to the public on weekends in order to earn money and finance his experiments. However, lack of money forced him to give up.
On May 4, 1811, he married Manuela Antonia de Arce . Because of his participation in the Jornada libertaria on November 5, 1811, he was imprisoned for several months. After his release, he took an active part in the separatist uprising and was shot on January 24, 1814. He was followed up by the Spanish authorities and then arrested again. Thanks to his wife's efforts, he was pardoned in June 1818 and released the following year. After his release from prison, however, he continued to fight to achieve Central American independence from Spain.
In 1822 he was elected mayor and member of the Provincial Congress of San Salvador. A decade later, at the height of his political activity, he was Quartermaster General of Finance of the State of El Salvador ( Hacienda del estado de El Salvador ). In 1832 Domingo Antonio de Lara became deputy chairman of the parliament of El Salvador. From 1834 to 1836 he was then a member of the Federal Congress.
He died in 1837 or 1844, the exact place and time of his death is unknown. He had two daughters, Antonia and Dominga.
Posthumously
In 1961 a postage stamp issued by the government of El Salvador was issued. On the 10 Centavos stamp, he was depicted with two other people who had contributed to the independence of El Salvador.
Web links
- Físico e iniciador de la aviación salvadoreña on the INAC Nicaragua website (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mention of the 1600 m flight on granportalaviacion.com (Spanish, accessed December 17, 2013)
- ↑ Biography of Domingo Antonio de Lara y Aguilar (Spanish)
- ↑ Postage stamp 1961
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lara, Domingo Antonio de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lara y Aguilar, Domingo Antonio de (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Salvadoran aviation pioneer and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 30, 1783 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Salvador |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1837 or 1844 |