Andes Meza

Who was Andes Meza?

Andres Meza Murillo was a Costa Rican poet who wrote under the pen name Domitilo Abarca.

Meza Murillo wrote in various modern styles and his works were regularly published throughout his productive life, but he came to national and then international attention as one of the pioneers of serious poetry written in the local rural dialects of Central America. He was a descendant of a storied Spanish noble family which included the line of powerful Marquises of San Miguel de Aguayo who played a major role in the development and expansion of the Spanish Empire into North America against French interests and the settlement of what would become Texas. Meza Murillo's great grandfather was the last official sent by the Spanish Crown to what would become Central America. His ancestor played a leading role in Central America's bloodless break from Spain and the events that followed for which he was stripped of his titles by the King of Spain and came to settle in what would become Costa Rica.

Meza Murillo grew up on his family's large estates where he came into contact with the rural dialects and communities.