Rafael María Baralt
Rafael María Baralt y Pérez was a Venezuelan diplomat and one of the country's most famed writers, philologists, and historians. He was the first Latin American to occupy a chair at the Real Academia Española. Born in Maracaibo on 3 July 1810, he suffered an untimely death in Madrid due to the stresses and aggravations suffered during services rendered to his beloved country of birth.
Baralt was the son of Miguel Antonio Baralt, who helped build the Baralt Theater in Maracaibo, and Ana Francisca Pérez, who was Dominican. He died on 4 January 1860, and is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela.Books
