Mexican journalist and author (died 1827)

José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi

José Joaquín Eugenio Fernández de Lizardi Gutiérrez, commonly known as José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, was a Mexican writer, journalist, and political thinker known for his pioneering role in Latin American literature and early journalism in the 19th century. He is widely recognized as one of the first novelists in the Americas, particularly for his novel El Periquillo Sarniento, which began publication in 1816 and is considered the first novel written and published in Latin America. The work blends satire, moral commentary, and social criticism in a narrative influenced by the Enlightenment ideals of reason and reform. Lizardi lived through the final years of New Spain and the early stages of Mexican independence.