Ignacio Mariscal

Ignacio Mariscal combined law, Liberal politics, and literature with a diplomatic career that stretched from the struggle against French intervention into the final years of Porfirio Díaz's government. Born in Oaxaca in 1829, he qualified as a lawyer at the state's Institute of Sciences and Arts. His opposition to Santa Anna brought exile; he subsequently represented Oaxaca in the constituent congress of 1856–57 and worked with Juárez's government on the Reform legislation. ¹

In 1863 he joined the Mexican legation in Washington, where Matías Romero was seeking support for the republic. He later returned as minister and dealt with the difficult financial aftermath of the two countries' disputes. In December 1876 he and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish signed a protocol settling the expenses of the mixed claims commission and the compensation of its umpire. The accounting established a balance in Mexico's favor that could be deducted from its obligations. ^{1, 2}

Mariscal's later work as foreign secretary included the boundary settlement with Guatemala. He signed the September 1882 treaty with Manuel Herrera; it incorporated Guatemala's renunciation of claims to Chiapas and the Soconusco and set out a boundary to be surveyed. The agreement followed preliminary negotiations in the United States. ³

He also represented Mexico in Britain during the restoration of diplomatic relations in 1883–84 and returned to the Foreign Ministry for the remainder of his life. Alongside official work he translated literature from English, including Shakespeare, Poe, and Byron, and directed the Mexican Academy shortly before his death in 1910. His published writings ranged from legal procedure and international boundaries to poetry. ¹