José María Peralta Lagos

Not to be confused with José María Peralta.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Peralta and the second or maternal family name is Lagos.

José María Peralta Lagos (25 July 1873 – 22 July 1944), was a Salvadoran writer, military engineer, and politician. He wrote under the pseudonym T.P. Mechín.^[1]

General José María Peralta Lagos
Minister of National Defense
In office 1 March 1911 – 9 February 1913
President	Manuel Enrique Araujo
Preceded by	Fernando Figueroa
Succeeded by	Luis Alonso Barahona
Personal details
Born	25 July 1873 Santa Tecla, El Salvador
Died	22 July 1944(1944-07-22) (aged 70) Guatemala City, Guatemala
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	Academia de Ingenieros de Guadalajara
Occupation	Writer, military engineer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	El Salvador
Branch/service	Salvadoran Army
Years of service	? – ?
Rank	General

Biography

Peralta Lagos was born on 25 July 1873 in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. He studied at the Academia de Ingenieros de Guadalajara, a military academy, in Guadalajara, Spain. He spearheaded the construction of the Teatro Nacional de El Salvador in the early 20th century,^[2] along with the engineer José Emilio Alcaine. He was a diplomatic representative of El Salvador in Spain and Minister of National Defense and Navy under president Manuel Enrique Araujo (1911–1913).^[3][4] He also served as a member of the Academia Salvadoreña de la Lengua.

Peralta Lagos's writing is costumbrista, is humorous, and is sometimes ironic.^[5] Peralta Lagos had eight children including Jose Maria Peralta Salazar, who served as president of the parliament of El Salvador in the 1950's.

Works

His published works are:

• Burla Burlando (collection of articles, 1923)
• La Muerte de la Tórtola o Malandanzas de Un Corresponsal (novel, 1932)
• Brochazos (short stories, 1925)
• Dr. Gonorreitigorrea (novel, 1926)
• Candidato (comedy in three acts, 1931)
• Masferrer Humorista (essay, 1933)
• Algunas Ideas Sobre la Futura Organización de la Enseñanza Superior de CA. (essay, 1936)