THE CONSTRUCTION OF MORAZANIST CIVICISM IN ARIEL MAGAZINE (1964-1968)

Abstract

This study analyzes the reinterpretation of José Francisco Morazán’s civic thought in Revista Ariel (1964–1968), directed by the Honduran intellectual Medardo Mejía, as an effort to recover republican values and civic consciousness within the Central American context of the twentieth century. Through a qualitative and hermeneutic approach, the research examines the discourses published in the magazine that exalt Morazán as a patriot, liberator, and democrat, in order to understand how his legacy evolved into an educational, ethical, and political project aimed at shaping the modern citizen.

The methodology employs two complementary analytical levels: hermeneutic micromodels, focused on discursive structures and axiological values, and theoretical macromodels, which link the texts to the ideological currents of liberalism, humanism, critical Marxism, and Latin American antiimperialism. The findings reveal that Revista Ariel functioned as an intellectual platform of resistance against conservative and clerical narratives, reaffirming Morazanist thought as a model of civility, sovereignty, and social justice.

Furthermore, the study highlights the relevance of the Morazanist educational project, reinterpreted in the twentieth century through the Morazanic School, conceived as a “moral revolution” grounded in education for freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. In this sense, Mejía’s work rescues the ethical and pedagogical dimensions of Morazán’s legacy, projecting them toward the formation of critical, solidarity-driven citizens aware of their role in social transformation.

It is concluded that Morazanist thought, more than a historical legacy, constitutes a permanent national project that integrates education, ethics, and politics in defense of sovereignty and justice. The reinterpretation of Morazán in Revista Ariel reaffirms his role as a symbol of cultural resistance and as a guiding figure for the construction of a democratic, free, and united Central America.