Eduardo López Rivas, great great grandfather
Also check the wikipedia article (in Spanish).
A renouned journalist. Educated in Maracaibo (Zulia, Venezuela) and in Marseille (France),
he returns to Venezuela at the age of twenty, and inmediately begins to publish
a number of newspapers and weeklies, with a strong message against the administration
of Guzman Blanco, a president with considerable importance in Venezuelan history, but
with an inclination for a personalistic rule. López Rivas' fight was centered in
the respect for human rights and for freedom of press.
He founded "El Fonógrafo" (The Phonograph), first daily newspaper in
Maracaibo, which represented the highest form of opposition journalism of his time.
His other important publication was "El Zulia Ilustrado" (The Enlightened Zulia),
first weekly in Venezuela published in color, with the highest production quality
seen up to that point (circa 1880). This publication was created with the intetion of
promoting culture of free thinking, something that López Rivas considered critical
for the future of Venezuela; a promotion of the value of ideas as oppossed to the value
of force.
In his honor, the Press Association of Zulia awards the Eduardo López Rivas
prize, recognizing the "best journalist" of Zulia every year.
Eduardo López Bustamante, great grandfather
He was one of 10 children of Eduardo López Rivas. He was a lawyer and an academic
of the law. He wrote one of the more important books in Philosophy of Law used in Venezuela
to educate many generations of attorneys. It has now fallen out of use.
He was a fierce opponent of Juan Vicente Gómez's government and for this was imprisoned,
spending 10 years in captivity. There, sharing his cell with well known father Olegario, they
shared their knowledge, father Olegario teaching my great grandfather latin, and in turn my
great grandfather teaching father Olegario french.
Carlos López Bustamante, great uncle
I do not have his picture yet.
Brother of Eduardo López Bustamante, he shared in his father's passion for journalism.
He lived in Caracas, from where he collaborated with López Rivas, publishing constantly with a
message of political awareness, and promoting resistance to the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez.
General Eduardo Pérez, great uncle
One of the foremost nurses in our state of Zulia. Daughter of Eduardo López Bustamante.
An anual award is given with her name to the nurse deemed to have had the most impact in her rural area.