Vicente Florencio Carlos Riva Palacio Guerrero (Mexico City, 16 October 1832 – Madrid, 22 November 1896) was a Mexican politician and intellectual.
His father was Mariano Riva Palacio and his mother was María de los Dolores Guerrero Hernández[1] Vicente's father worked for the Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico in Querétaro[2] His mother was the daughter of President Vicente Guerrero and María de Guadalupe Hernández.
In 1845 Vicente entered college at San Gregorio and then graduated in 1854 as a lawyer. Riva Palacio was not only a lawyer but a general, diplomat, politician, historian and a writer. After Vicente received his degree in law he continued working while going to war. Vicente participated in the Ayutla and French intervention in Mexico. In 1858 and through April 1860 he was in prison because of his liberal ideas. After prison, he became congressman and wrote for the newspaper "La Orquesta". According to Nettie Lee Benson, Vicente was writing about Emperor Maximilian I's downfall and Porfirio Díaz taking over Mexico. Also in 1862, Vicente became Governor of the State of Mexico. Then in 1865, he founded and published a newspaper called "El Pito Real". Also in 1865, he became Governor of Michoacán due to the death of General José María Arteaga, Vicente was then named General and chief of the central army according to Nettie Lee Benson. In 1867 he published another newspaper called "El Radical" that was only published until 1873. After "El Radical" he published another newspaper called "El Ahuizote". In 1876 he resigned as governor and dedicated himself to witting. In the year 1884, he was accused of conspiracy and was imprisoned, where he wrote his second volume of "México Atraves de los Siglos" and after prison Vicente retire from the military. After prison, Vicente left to Spain where he met Spanish artists and politicians. Then in 1896, Vicente Riva Palacio died in Madrid, Spain.[3]