Nationality Honduras | Residence Honduras | |
Education Primary Education, Escuela Normal de Occidente in La EsperanzaJurisprudence, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa Occupation Folklorist, author, and composer Known for Recorded, preserved, and restored traditional Honduran music and dance. Title Director of the Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas de Honduras Died 28 August 1999, Tegucigalpa, Honduras | ||
Rafael Manzanares Aguilar (July 17, 1918 – August 28, 1999) was educated in law, a professor and Honduran folklorist, an author and a musical composer. He was creator of the National Folklore Office and the Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas de Honduras.
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Childhood and Education
Rafael Manzanares was born on July 17, 1918 in La Esperanza, Intibucá, the son of Mr. Santiago Manzanares and Mrs. Maria de los Angeles Aguilar. He spent his early life in La Esperanza and graduated from the Escuela Normal de Occidente in La Esperanza with a degree in primary education. He then moved to Tegucigalpa to continue his studies at the Central University, from which he obtained a degree in Law at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.
Career
Rafael Manzanares was initially appointed as secretary of the board of the Central District. He subsequently became director general of Culture and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Honduras. In this position, Manzanares Aguilar studied music and committed himself to investigate native dances and folk music in Honduras. In this pursuit, he visited communities in Honduras to study and record traditional customs of the countryside. This work earned him recognition from the government. This led to him founding and directing the National Office of Folklore under the Ministry of Public Education. In this capacity he is credited with founding the national dance company, El Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas de Honduras on November 1, 1956. He was the first director and choreographer of the new dance company. The group from then until now works to rescue, preserve, disseminate and project the folk dance Honduras.
Rafael Manzanares is the author of the lyrics and music of themes such as Conozca Honduras, which describes the country and its people, Ciudad de San Pedro Sula, Ciudad de La Esperanza, Ojojona, Danlí, among others. He is particularly noted for investigating folk dances in the communities in which they originated and recording the dress, music and choreography. A typical folk dance with a jocular character is El Zopilote, inspired by flying and walking characteristics of the buzzard, commonly seen in Honduras. This dance was compiled by Professor Manzanares in the city of Yuscarán, department of El Paraiso, and it was choreographed and initially interpreted by the Cuadro Nacional de Danzas Folklóricas.
In 1997 Rafael Manzanares was the Liberal Party mayoral candidate for Tegucigalpa, in an election that he lost to the National Party Candidate, Doctor Cesar Castellanos Madrid. In 1998, during the presidential administration of Carlos Roberto Flores, he was appointed minister of the Secretary of State for Culture, Arts and Sports. Rafael Manzanares was also a commentator for HRN radio.
Published works
Awards and Recognitions
The following are some of the many awards and recognitions bestowed on Rafael Manzanares Aguilar.