Franz Tamayo

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Franz Tamayo (1878-1956) was a Bolivian intellectual, writer, and politician. The Franz Tamayo Province is named after him. He was renowned for his oratory and rectitude. Perhaps Bolivia's foremost poet, he wrote a number of educational treatises and also practiced law, journalism, and diplomacy.

Dabbling in politics, Tamayo originally supported the Liberal Party but switched to the opposition Republican Party around 1920. In 1931 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Relations by president Daniel Salamanca. He actually won the 1934 presidential elections, but these were annulled by the leaders of the military coup that toppled Salamanca from power.

This is an old anecdote about Franz Tamayo that is illustrative of his genius:

Tamayo lived in La Paz (Bolivia's Capital), and every morning he would get up early and spend 15 minutes gazing from his balcony to the imposing Illimani, the highest of the mountains surrounding the city.

After a while, a man came to live in the same building as Tamayo, and one morning he saw him in his "ritual". "Franz", he called out, for Tamayo was well known in the city. "Franz!". After some minutes of shouting and receiving no answer, he lost his temper and shouted "For God's sake, Franz, what is your problem? I am trying to say 'good morning' to you"

Tamayo turned around, his eyes on fire, and shouted. "¡Silencio! Dos cumbres se contemplan" ("Silence!, two giants gaze upon each other.)

In another anecdote, Tamayo was serving in the Bolivian House of Representaives when he gave one of his faced impassioned speeches before that august body. Inevitably, someone took exception to his thinking and booed the great poet and orator, tossing (of all things) a horseshoe at him to show his displeasure. Tamayo calmly picked up the horseshoe and said aloud "incidentally, would the gentleman who has lost his shoe please come up front to claim it?"