Roberto Azurdia

Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Roberto René Azurdia Paiz, is a Guatemalan writer, diplomat and physician. Born in Guatemala, Central America, in 1926. Studied secondary school at the Escuela Politécnica, and earned a scholarship to study medicine at the prestigious Escuela Médico Militar in Mexico City.

He obtained his medical degree and returned to Guatemala to serve in that country’s Navy.

He was appointed Minister of Public Health by the President of Guatemala and served in that function until his nomination as Ambassador to Italy (Quirinale)in 1963 during the presidencies of Enrique Peralta Azurdia and Julio César Méndez Montenegro.

While acting as Ambassador to Italy, he served as representative from Guatemala to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. After five years in Italy he was nominated Ambassador to Panama and represented Guatemala in that country for nearly three years with the government of Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera.

After serving in the Army of Guatemala where he ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he retired from the military and moved to Mexico City, where he practiced medicine as a surgeon for twenty years.

Following his retirement from medicine, Dr.Azurdia developed a successful marble import/export business in Mexico City. He retired from business in 1995 and moved to the United States.

Dr. Azurdia has published numerous newspaper and magazine articles and is the author of the novel El Médico de Matías.