Telésfora (1847) is a three-act opera written by Aquinas Ried. Since the epoch of the Chilean music historian Eugenio Pereira Salas this work has been considered as the first lyrical drama composed in the Chilean territory after the independence. The following essay discusses this point in depth on the basis of the libretto, which is the only element of this opera that has remained. The libretto reveals a concrete political project as well as a personal reflection on Ried’s ideas along with his encounter with Chileans, Germans and indigenous people of the nineteenth century. In this regard, the figure of Aquinas Ried reaches a wider spectrum encompassing the musical and cosmopolitan life of the city of Valparaiso and the immigrants in 19th-century Chile.La Telésfora (1847), ópera en tres actos de Aquinas Ried, se ha instalado desde los trabajos de Eugenio Pereira Salas, como el primer drama lírico escrito en suelo chileno. El presente ensayo busca discutir esta consideración a partir del único elemento que le sobrevive: su libreto. A partir del mismo, la obra de Ried se revela como un proyecto político concreto, un reflejo personal de sus ideas y su encuentro con los chilenos, alemanes y mapuches de mediados del siglo XIX. En este sentido, la figura de Aquinas Ried se amplía a todo un espectro de la vida musical y cosmopolita de la ciudad de Valparaíso y los inmigrantes en Chile.