Eugenio María de Hostos

Caribbean intellectual who pioneered pan-Antillean education and anti-colonial activism

Often called 'El Ciudadano de América' (The Citizen of the Americas), Eugenio María de Hostos (1839-1903) redefined educational reform and anticolonial thought across Latin America. Born in Puerto Rico under Spanish rule, he became a tireless advocate for Caribbean federation and women's rights when both concepts were radical.

Hostos designed scientific-humanist pedagogy that emphasized critical thinking over rote memorization, establishing over 50 schools in Chile and the Dominican Republic. His 'Moral Social' philosophy argued education must create ethical citizens to break colonial mentalities—a revolutionary concept when most Caribbean schools served colonial elites.

As a political strategist, he drafted plans for Antillean Confederation to unite Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola against imperial powers. Though unrealized, this vision inspired 20th-century movements like the Young Lords. His 1883 novel La Peregrinación de Bayoán used allegory to critique Spanish colonialism decades before Hemingway's works.