Definitions

Herrera

Herrera

[er-re-rah]
Herrera, Abraham Cohen de, c.1570-1635, Jewish philosopher and kabbalist, also called Alonso Nunez de Herrera and Abraham Irira. Born possibly in Portugal of a Marrano family, his studies of Neoplatonism, as taught in the Florentine Academy according to the interpretation of Marcel Ficino and as found in the Neoplatonic Dialoghi d'Amore of Judah Abravanel, and his studies of Lurianic kabbalah (see Luria, Isaac ben Solomon), prompted him to attempt a synthesis of these two traditions in his Puerta del cielo (n.d.). This work, circulating in the original Spanish manuscript, in Hebrew translation, and Latin abridgment, influenced religious developments in both Jewish and Christian communities, as well as such later philosophers as Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Herrera also wrote Casa de Dios, dealing with angels, and Epítome y compendio de la lógica o dialéctica, a treatise on logic (his only published work, n.d.).
Herrera, Fernando de, 1534-97, Spanish poet. One of the outstanding poets of the 16th cent. and the leader of the Seville school, he earned the name Herrera el Divino. He is remembered for his Neoplatonic love lyrics and sonnets inspired by Doña Leonor de Gelves and for his heroic odes on Don Juan of Austria and the victory of Lepanto. His annotated edition of the poetry of Garcilaso was a masterpiece of Renaissance criticism and analysis. Herrera's Tomás Moro (1592) was a defense of Sir Thomas More.
Herrera, Francisco de, c.1576-1656, Spanish painter, engraver, miniaturist, and draftsman. He worked in Seville most of his life, executing religious and genre subjects. His style is broad and dynamic, with powerful accents of light and dark and expressive distortions. Herrera's most famous works are the Triumph of St. Hermengild (Seville) and St. Basil Dictating His Rule (c.1639; Louvre). From 1640 until his death he worked in Madrid. His son, Francisco de Herrera, the younger, 1622-85, studied still-life painting in Naples. Returning to Seville in 1656, he executed religious works. His masterpieces, the Triumph of St. Hermengild (Prado) and the Triumph of St. Francis (Seville Cathedral), both of the 1660s, show his loose and sketchy technique and bright, warm colors. In 1677 he became Charles II's court painter and master of royal works, designing architectural plans, including one, never executed, for the cathedral at Zaragoza.
Herrera, José Joaquín, 1792-1854, president of Mexico (1844-45, 1848-51). Rising to power after the collapse of Santa Anna's second presidential administration, he incurred the disfavor of ultraconservatives by attempting to avoid war with the United States; a revolution led by Paredes y Arrillaga resulted in his resignation. After the war he again held the presidency and attempted to reform the government, but his administration was hampered by insurrections of native peoples, political unrest, and a staggering national debt. He was succeeded by Mariano Arista.

See biography by T. E. Cotner (1949, repr. 1969).

(born Feb. 13, 1929, Santiago de Veragua, Pan.—died Aug. 1, 1981, near Penonomé) Virtual dictator of Panama (1968–78). He entered the national guard in 1952 after military studies in Venezuela and the U.S., rose to the rank of general, and came to power in 1968 in a coup d'état. A nationalist and populist, he was one of the few Latin American heads of state to visit Fidel Castro in Cuba, though he suppressed leftist labour agitators and students at home. In 1977 he achieved his supreme goal when U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter signed two treaties agreeing to transfer the Panama Canal and Canal Zone to Panamanian sovereignty in 1999. He died in a plane crash while on a military inspection tour.

Learn more about Torrijos (Herrera), Omar with a free trial on Britannica.com.

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