El Periquillo Sarniento is the first novel of entirely Latin American content. It was written in Mexico by José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi in 1816. The book shows a marked neoclassical influence and moralizing pretensions. It tells the story of an old man who, in the face of impending death, writes a biographical text with tips for his children. Among other things, he recounts his experience with the Mexican church and that of a Franciscan monastery where he was held a few months.