After a rigorous process, the 19th-century editions of Peru's official gazette '
El Peruano' have been inscribed on
UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.
On May 13, 1826, South American liberator Simon Bolivar used El Peruano to editorialize about respect for press freedom. Four months later, his farewell speech appeared on the same pages.
In 1839, the full text of the Political Constitution was published in this paper; two years later, an extraordinary edition came out, which gave an account of the Ingavi Battle, where Agustin Gamarra died.
Other editions —tinged with goodbyes— are those of November 9, 1841, in which the official gazette gave an account of the death of General Jose de San Martin, and that of May 4, 1866, which announced the death of Colonel Jose Galvez during the Dos de Mayo Combat.
These editions were published between 1826 and the first half of 1868.
"This is the first newspaper inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The documentary collection of El Peruano not only reflects the history of legality from the point of view of the State, but also the thought of people in this era, of a political doctrine, whose evolution can be observed over time and is expressed in legal documents, as well as in opinion articles," said Fernando Lopez, head of the Peruvian Memory of the World Committee (CPMM), sponsored by UNESCO.
"So, for the first time, we see this freedom of expression in a patent and tangible way," he added.
(END) DOP/LIT/RMB/MVB
Publicado: 22/12/2020