Margot Arce de Vázquez

Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez
Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez
Born	March 10, 1904 Caguas, Puerto Rico
Died	November 14, 1990 Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Occupation	writer, essayist and educator
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Notable work(s)	Founded the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language

Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Series Flag of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
Events and Revolts Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Ponce massacre · Río Piedras massacre · Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s · Jayuya Uprising · Nationalist attack of San Juan · Utuado Uprising · Truman assassination attempt · U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
Nationalist Leaders Pedro Albizu Campos · Casimiro Berenguer · Blanca Canales · Rafael Cancel Miranda · José Coll y Cuchí · Oscar Collazo · Juan Antonio Corretjer · Lolita Lebrón · Hugo Margenat · Francisco Matos Paoli · Isolina Rondón · Clemente Soto Vélez · Griselio Torresola · Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff · Olga Viscal Garriga
Notable Nationalists Margot Arce de Vázquez · Julia de Burgos · Nemesio Canales · Carmelo Delgado Delgado · José Ferrer Canales · René Marqués · German Rieckehoff · Helen Rodriguez-Trias · Daniel Santos · Teófilo Villavicencio Marxuach

Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez (March 10, 1904-November 14, 1990) was a writer, essayist and educator who founded the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language.

Early years

Arce de Vázquez was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education. In 1922, she graduated from that city's Central High School and following her graduation enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras, San Juan.

As a university student she sympathized with the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and became involved in the independence movement of the island. She was also the editor of the university's newspaper where she often expressed her views. She majored and earned her bachelors degree in mathematics and Spanish. She then went to Spain and enrolled in the Central University of Madrid. Among her teachers were the essayist Américo Castro and the poet Dámaso Alonso. Their teachings were to influence Arce de Vázquez for the rest of her life. In 1930, she earned her doctorate in philosophy and letters. Her thesis was about Garcilaso de la Vega, a work which she would publish later in her life.

Educator

When Vázquez returned to Puerto Rico, she was hired by her alma mater. She founded the Department of Hispanic Studies and was its director from 1943 to 1965. Among the distinguished Puerto Ricans she influenced were Luis de Arrigoitia, Mariano Feliciano, José Ferrer Canales and Rosario Ferré. In 1953, she helped organize and presided over the committee in charge of transferring the body of renowned Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos from New York City to the island. In 1955, Arce de Vázquez founded the Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language. During her spare time she wrote essays expressing her pro-independence views, which were published in many of the island's magazines and newspapers.

Author

Arce de Vázquez edited the works of Puerto Rican poet Luis Palés Matos. Two of her most important works were: Notas Puertorriqueñas (1950) (Puerto Rican Notes) and Gabriela Mistral, persona y poesía (1958) (Gabriela Mistral: The Poet and her Work). These works were highly acclaimed and received awards from the Puerto Rican Institute of Literature.

Written works

• Literatura puertorriqueña
• Obras Completas De Margot Arce De Vázquez
• Gabriela Mistral: The Poet and Her Work
• Lecturas Puertorriqueñas: Prosa (Puerto Rico: Realidad y Anhelo, Número 2), by Mariana Robles de Cardona, Margot Arce de Vázquez (Editor)

Final years

The Puerto Rican Academy of the Spanish Language bestowed upon Arce de Vázquez the title of "Profesora Emeritus" upon her retirement in 1970. Dr. Margot Arce de Vázquez died on November 14, 1990 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico from Alzheimer's disease.

In memory

In 1996, the Río Piedras Rotary Club dedicated the 50th anniversary issue of their magazine Asomante to the memory of Arce de Vázquez and to Nilita Vientos Gastón. Also in 1996, the Central University of Bayamón honored her memory by renaming their library after her.

See also

Puerto Rico portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Rican Nationalist Party

External links

• El Nuevo Dia

Persondata
Name	Arce De Vazquez, Margot
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 10, 1904
Place of birth	Caguas, Puerto Rico
Date of death	November 14, 1990
Place of death	Hato Rey, Puerto Rico