Altamirano, Ignacio Manuel

Altamirano, Ignacio Manuel (ēgnä`syō mänwĕl` ältämērä`nō), 1834–93, Mexican novelist and poet. Altamirano came from a poor family of indigenous descent, and after gaining his formal education he joined Benito Juárez in the struggle against Maximilian. Afterward he was a key figure in the reconstruction of the republic. He edited the newspaper Correo de México. As a poet Altamirano interpreted the Mexican landscape. He is best known for two novels—Clemencia and La Navidad en las montañas [christmas in the mountains], a story sketching Mexican customs.