Over 20 Hispanic Nobel Laureates: These are their names
From pioneering scientists and immortal poets to leaders who risked their lives for peace, the Hispanic world has added more than 20 laureates who symbolize creativity, courage and passion for knowledge.
(FILE) Official Nobel Prize Medals
Over more than 120 years, Spanish-speaking countries have left an indelible mark on the history of the Nobel Prizes. From pioneering scientists and immortal poets to leaders who risked their lives for peace, the Hispanic world has added more than 20 laureates who symbolize creativity, courage and passion for knowledge.
Nobel Peace Prize (7 winners):
Seven Hispanics have been recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize, making Spanish a recurring language in the Norwegian committee's most emblematic speeches.
- Carlos Saavedra Lamas (Argentina, 1936)
- Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (Argentina, 1980)
- Alfonso García Robles (Mexico, 1982)
- Óscar Arias Sánchez (Costa Rica, 1987)
- Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemala, 1992)
- Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (Colombia, 2016)
- María Corina Machado (Venezuela, 2025)
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María Corina Machado, líder de la oposición venezolana, gana el Premio Nobel de la Paz
Diane Hernández
Nobel Prize in Literature (11 winners):
Spanish-language literature has been among the most awarded in the world. Eleven Hispanic writers have received the Nobel Prize for Literature, from the dawn of the 20th century to the present day.
- José Echegaray (Spain, 1904) - Playwright and mathematician, first Hispanic Nobel laureate.
- Jacinto Benavente (Spain, 1922)
- Gabriela Mistral (Chile, 1945) - First Latin American female Nobel laureate./b>
- Juan Ramón Jiménez(Spain, 1956)
- Miguel Ángel Asturias (Guatemala, 1967)
- Pablo Neruda(Chile, 1971)
- Vicente Aleixandre (Spain, 1977)
- Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia, 1982)
- Camilo José Cela (Spain, 1989)
- Octavio Paz(Mexico, 1990)
- Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru / Spain, 2010)
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Nobel Prizes in Science (Physics, Chemistry and Medicine: 8 winners)
In the sciences, eight Hispanic researchers have achieved the highest recognition. Their discoveries revolutionized medicine, biology and modern chemistry.
- Santiago Ramón y Cajal (Spain, 1906 - Medicine)
- Bernardo Alberto Houssay (Argentina, 1947 - Medicine)
- Severo Ochoa (Spain, 1959 - Medicine)
- Luis Walter Álvarez (United States, 1968 - Physics) Although born and lived in the United States, he was of Hispanic descent, the son of a Cuban physician (Walter C. Álvarez).
- Luis Federico Leloir (Argentina, 1970 - Chemistry)
- Baruj Benacerraf (Venezuela / United States, 1980 - Medicine)
- César Milstein (Argentina, 1984 - Medicine)
- Mario J. Molina (Mexico, 1995 - Chemistry)
Spain and Argentina lead the list, followed by Mexico, Chile and Colombia. Each of these names embodies a fragment of the Hispanic soul: the search for knowledge, the strength of the word and the defense of freedom.
More than a century after the first Hispanic Nobel Prize winner, the legacy continues, and the Spanish language continues to resonate among the world's most inspiring speeches.
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