Vanessa Pereira: First Bolivian to Join the Royal Hispano-American Academy in Cádiz | Primera boliviana en ingresar a la Real Academia Hispanoamericana en Cádiz

By Brújula Digital:

The induction ceremony took place in the city of Cádiz, with the presence of all members of the Academy’s board and its director, Enrique García-Agulló.

The Academy’s director, Enrique García-Agulló, presents the medal to Vanessa Pereira / Courtesy

Bolivian Vanessa Pereira was inducted as a Corresponding Academic of the Royal Hispano-American Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, becoming the first representative of Bolivia to join this institution based in Cádiz, Spain, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The induction ceremony was held in the city of Cádiz, attended by all members of the Academy’s board and its director, Enrique García-Agulló, who presented the medal and delivered the corresponding diploma. The ceremony also included the participation of academic authorities, members of the institution, and special guests.

During the event, the “laudatio” was delivered by academic María Felicidad Rodríguez, who highlighted Pereira Durán’s career and the significance of her admission in strengthening cultural ties between Bolivia, Spain, and Hispano-America, according to a press release.

In her induction speech, titled “The Imperial Villa of Potosí and its Royal Mint: Jewel of the Spanish Crown in America,” Pereira Durán addressed the historical role of Potosí in the global economy during the colonial period, emphasizing its role in trade circuits between the Americas, Europe, and Asia. “The one who stands before you today is, without a doubt, profoundly Bolivian, but also Hispano-American,” she stated.

The academic also evoked the importance of Cerro Rico and the Mint of Potosí as symbols of the first economic globalization, and recalled the motto granted by Charles V to the Imperial Villa: “I am rich Potosí, I am the treasure of the world.”

Her induction marks an unprecedented milestone for Bolivia in this Royal Academy, strengthening the country’s presence in international spaces of cultural and academic reflection.

Pereira Durán, vice president of the Carlos III Foundation of the Kingdom of Spain and honorary ambassador of the Casa de la Libertad of Sucre, had previously been inducted as a member of the Academy of Diplomacy of the Kingdom of Spain.

In closing her remarks, she emphasized the contemporary value of Potosí’s legacy and its continued relevance as a cultural bridge: “the true greatness of Potosí lies not only in its past, but in what that history continues to inspire.”

BD/RPU

[Bolivian Thoughts welcome Vanessa Pereira to The Hall of Bolivian Fame]

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