Eligio Anzola Anzola

Humanist formation

Eligio Anzola Anzola was born in Barquisimeto on July 10, 1908, the son of Fortunato Anzola Unda and Sara Anzola Cazorla. He completed his secondary studies at La Salle, and earned his doctorate in Political Science at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1934. He was one of the most cultured minds of the twentieth-century Lara political generation, with a solid grounding in history, philosophy, and Latin.

Although he was not born in El Tocuyo, his public career was deeply tied to Lara state and to the Morán Municipality: as governor he promoted public works and cultural programs in El Tocuyo and in the Humocaros, and the Casa de la Cultura of El Tocuyo bears his name in his honor.

Educator before politician

Before active politics, Anzola was an educator. He directed the Liceo Vargas in Caracas (1932) and was a teacher and director of the Liceo Lisandro Alvarado in Barquisimeto —teaching history, philosophy, and Latin. He also worked as a broadcaster on radio station RCR (1932-33). This pedagogical dimension always set him apart from the professional politician: he spoke with precision and wrote with fluency.

Political career

He began his political career as Civil Chief and Prefect of the Iribarren District (1938). After the October Revolution of 1945, Acción Democrática appointed him:

• Governor of Lara state (1945-1948) during the first AD trienio. He drove the rebuilding of the Bolívar Bridge and the Barquisimeto sewer system, along with educational and cultural works throughout the state.
• Minister of the Interior (1948) under President Rómulo Gallegos. He was the last minister of that government before the November 1948 coup.

After the fall of democracy, Anzola endured persecution and exile during the dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez (1948-1958).

Second term as governor (1959-1963)

With the dictatorship gone, Anzola returned to public life. He served as senator (1959-1964) and, simultaneously, as governor of Lara state for the second time (1959-1963) during the first government of Rómulo Betancourt.

The works of this period are what cemented him in Lara's memory:

• The Concha Acústica of Barquisimeto —an emblematic stage of Lara culture.
• The first bridge over the Turbio River.
• Mass programs of housing, rural electrification, and roads.
• Decisive support for popular culture and the state's casas de la cultura (cultural centers).

It was during this second term that the cultural projects in El Tocuyo were consolidated, including the recovery of the Casa de la Cultura —formerly the Franciscan Convent— as a museum and educational center.

"The intellectual in politics"

Acción Democrática called him "the intellectual in politics." Anzola wrote his own speeches, quoted Greek and Latin classics, and maintained friendships with writers and poets across the Generation of '28 and the Generation of '36.

Final years

After leaving the governorship, he continued his public activity in diplomatic and party roles. He died in Barquisimeto on April 23, 2001, at age 92. He was a witness —and active protagonist— of the great Venezuelan political transformations of the twentieth century: the fall of Gómez, the AD trienio, the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship, and Punto Fijo democracy.

Legacy in El Tocuyo

The Casa de la Cultura "Don Eligio Anzola Anzola" of El Tocuyo, located in the historic center, serves as a colonial museum, library, and venue for cultural activities. It is one of the most visited spaces in the Morán Municipality and a permanent tribute to the politician-educator who supported the rescue of El Tocuyo's heritage.