Juan Galindo (revolutionary)
Juan Galindo , also John Galindo (* 1802 , † 1839 in Tegucigalpa ) was a Central American independence fighter of Spanish - English - Irish origin. He is also known for exploring the Mayan ruins .
Life
The son of a Spanish official in Costa Rica (in what was then New Spain ), he joined the independence movement at a young age and made a name for himself during the siege of Omoa , which he led. Omoa, a port city in what is now Honduras , was the last Spanish stronghold in Central America at that time.
Galindo worked as an official of the Central American Confederation after gaining independence from Spain (1823) . There he excelled in surveying , cartography , topography and the study of local customs.
As a loyal follower of the liberal Francisco Morazán , first head of state of Honduras, then the last president of the Central American Federation, he became involved in the latently raging civil war and fought in numerous battles. When Nicaraguan units overran Tegucigalpa in 1839 , Galindo was killed in action.
Galindo also devoted himself to researching the Mayan ruins, especially in Palenque and Copán . In contrast to other ancient Americanists of his time, Galindo was the first to support the (correct) thesis that the Mayan buildings were not built by an ancient high culture , but by the ancestors of the indigenous people of Central America, the Mayas .
Web links
- Juan Galindo at www.englishgalindos.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Galindo, Juan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Galindo, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Central American independence fighter of Spanish-English-Irish origin |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1802 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1839 |
| Place of death | Tegucigalpa |