Eduardo López Rivas (10 September 1850 – 22 July 1913) was a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n editor and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. He founded and directed several Venezuelan publications throughout his life, among them the newspaper ''

Diario El Fonógrafo Diario (Italian, Spanish "Diary") and ''El Diario'' (Spanish, "The Daily") may refer to: Newspapers, periodicals and websites :''Alphabetical by country'' * ''El Diario'' (Argentina) * ''Diario'' (Aruba) * ''El Diario'' (La Paz), Bolivia *''Diario ...

'' and the magazine ''

El Zulia ilustrado ''El Zulia Ilustrado'' (The illustrated Zulia) was the first Venezuelan magazine and one of the most prominent in Venezuela in the later 19th century. It was the first Venezuelan periodical that printed illustrations and photographs. History ''El ...

''. He was the founder and owner of a Venezuelan editorial house,

Imprenta Americana Imprenta Americana (American Press, 1881–1917) was the first publishing house that printed illustrations and photographs in Venezuelan Periodical literature, periodicals. It was founded by editor and journalist Eduardo López Rivas, in Maracaibo, ...

, the first publishing house to print photographs in Venezuelan periodical publications.

Biography

Eduardo López Rivas was born in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

, on 15 September 1850. His mother was Encarnación Rivas and his father was Eduardo López de Triana y Espina, one of the founding members of the

Great Liberal Party of Venezuela The Liberal Party (, PL), better known as Great Liberal Party of Venezuela (, GPLV), was a political party in Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consis ...

.Nagel Von Jess, Kurt, ''Algunas familias maracaiberas'' (Some Maracaibo families), University of Zulia press, Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1989. He studied at ''Colegio Federal del Zulia'' until the age of fifteen, when he was sent by his parents to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, to continue his education. The years he lived in France made him a keen supporter of the ideals of freedom of the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Tarre Murzi, Alfredo, ''Biografía de Maracaibo'' (Maracaibo biography), Ed. Bodini S.A., Barcelona, Spain, 1983. When he returned to Venezuela he started to work as a teacher of languages and professional drawing, but the autocratic government of president

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for , from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1 ...

motivated him to do something for freedom. This fact led him to start his career as a journalist, inspired by the ideas he had acquired in France.Olivares, Antonógenes, ''Siluetas ilustres del Zulia'' (Sillhouettes illustrious of Zulia), Government of Zulia State press, Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1963, Volume II. He married Carmen Bustamante, niece of pioneer Venezuelan physician Francisco Eugenio Bustamante and a descendant of

General Rafael Urdaneta Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías (October 24, 1788 – August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence. After overthrowing President Joaquín Mosquera in a 1830 military coup, he served as Pres ...

. The couple had six children, among them journalists

Eduardo López Bustamante Eduardo López Bustamante (9 December 1881 – 30 June 1939) was a Venezuelan journalist, lawyer and poet. He was a leading intellectual of the Zulia State, Venezuela, and a figure within Venezuelan jurisprudence. Biography Eduardo López Bust ...

Carlos López Bustamante Carlos Arturo López Bustamante (1890–1950) was a Venezuelan journalist. He was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1890 and died in Chicago, USA in 1950. He was known for his fierce opposition to the dictator Juan Vicente Gómez from the pages o ...

and Teresa López Bustamante. Some years after his wife died, he married Carmen López Castro. They had two children. He died at age 63 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on 22 July 1913.

Publications

Between 1873 and 1877 he started five different newspapers in Caracas, ''El Semanario'' (''The Weekly''), ''La Antorcha'' (''The Torch''), ''El Periódico'' (''The Newspaper''), ''El Mensajero'' (''The Messenger'') and ''El Boletín Mercantil'' (''The Commercial Bulletin''). These newspapers published articles about politics in open opposition to the Venezuelan president,

. They were closed down by the government, one after another. López Rivas was persecuted and imprisoned several times and he was forced to flee the country.

''El Fonógrafo''

In 1879 López Rivas returned to Venezuela and founded in Maracaibo ''El Fonógrafo'' (''The Phonograph''), a newspaper mainly aimed to defend social welfare. This newspaper was also closed down several times by the government, but its moral prestige made it possible for ''El Fonógrafo'' to restart, over and over, and to survive 38 years of censorship and dictatorship.Pocaterra, José Rafael, ''Memorias de un venezolano de la decadencia'' (Memories of a Venezuelan in decline), Monte Ávila Latin-American editors C.A., Caracas, Venezuela 1977.

Eugene H. Plumacher Eugene Hermann Plumacher (March 7, 1838 – September 25, 1910) was a German-American diplomat, who served as U.S. consul to Maracaibo, Venezuela, from 1877 until 1890. He started his career as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy and Swiss A ...

, U.S. consul in Maracaibo between 1878 and 1919, mentions ''El Fonógrafo'' in his memoirs: "this newspaper was one of the best-run newspapers in Venezuela, modest and refined in its words but firm and serious in matters related to public welfare." Plumacher also writes about one of the many occasions when government troops entered the offices of ''El Fonógrafo'' and confiscated everything. "All the machinery of El Fonógrafo´s workshop was sent to the government office in Maracaibo, to edit a newspaper that supported President Antonio Guzmán Blanco". Due to its support to the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Venezuelan president

Juan Vicente Gómez Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón (24 July 1857 – 17 December 1935) was a Venezuelan military general, politician and '' de facto'' ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He only officially served as president on three occasions d ...

, a

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

sympathizer, closed ''El Fonógrafo'' permanently on 23 August 1917.

''El Zulia ilustrado''

In October 1888 López Rivas began publishing a monthly magazine, ''

'' (''The illustrated Zulia''). This magazine was dedicated to the history and culture of the State of

Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...

. It was the first Venezuelan magazine and the first periodical publication in the country with illustrations and photographs. It circulated inside and outside Venezuela and it had no commercial ads. Every issue included drawings of local heroes, country landscapes or battles of the Venezuelan independence, all made by López Rivas himself. The last ''El Zulia ilustrado'' was issued in December 1891.''El Zulia ilustrado'' (The illustrated Zulia), Facsimile, Belloso Foundation, Tipografía Vargas S.A., Caracas, Venezuela, 1965.

Imprenta Americana

In 1881 Eduardo López Rivas created his own publishing house, ''Imprenta Americana'' (''American Press''). This publishing house printed the newspaper ''El Fonógrafo'' and the magazine ''El Zulia ilustrado'', and it also edited books on a variety of subjects.Bermudez, Nilda, and Romero, María, ''Historia de un diario decimonónico; El Fonógrafo, sus aportes en el estudio de la comunidad maracaibera'' (History of a nineteenth century daily; its contributions to the study of the daily life in Maracaibo), Ed. Ágora, Trujillo, Trujillo State, Venezuela, 2006. It became a well known firm in

State, with the most advanced techniques of the time. It was in the headquarters of ''Imprenta Americana'' in Maracaibo where, for the first time in Venezuela,

photographs A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. The process and pra ...

and

illustrations An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

were printed in a periodical publication. It was also the first workshop in Venezuela to print illustrations mixing three different colors. This publishing house won several prizes in national and international fairs. ''Imprenta Americana'' was closed down permanently by Venezuelan dictator Juan Vicente Gómez, on 23 August 1917.

Legacy

Eduardo López Rivas is regarded in his country as a revolutionary of the

press Press may refer to: Media * Publisher * News media * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press TV, an Iranian television network Newspapers United States * ''The Press'', a former name of ''The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, California ...

and the

graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional graphics, i.e. produced on a flat surface,freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

and public spirit. The government of Zulia State has honored the editor's memory, by giving the name of Eduardo López Rivas and his publications to important places and events in that region of Venezuela. * Municipal Journalism Award "Eduardo López Rivas:" This prize is awarded annually by the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...

of Maracaibo to the best journalistic work in defense of public

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

. * El Zulia ilustrado Award: This prize is annually awarded by the Zulia State government to the best work in newspapers graphic arts. * Eduardo López Rivas Library: Eduardo López Rivas is the name of the new Maracaibo Public Press Library, opened to the public in 2004. * Pantheon of Zulia State: On 14 June 2012, the Board of Honors of the Pantheon of Zulia State, chaired by the governor of Zulia, approved the transfer of Eduardo López Rivas remains to the State Pantheon. The ceremony at the State Pantheon took place on 24 February 2015.''Diario Versión Final'' " (daily newspaper "Final Version"), Maracaibo, Venezuela, 24 February 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez Ribas, Eduardo 1850 births 1913 deaths People from Maracaibo 19th-century journalists 20th-century Venezuelan journalists Male journalists