Francisco José de Caldas
Francisco José de Caldas y Tenorio (born October 4, 1768 in Popayán , today Colombia ; † October 29, 1816 in Bogotá (executed)) was a Spanish-Colombian botanist , astronomer and Latin American freedom hero. Its botanical author abbreviation is " Caldas ".
Life
The son of José de Caldas y Gamba and Vicenta Tenorio y Arboleda studied first in the seminary in his hometown, then in the Colegio del Rosario . He graduated as a lawyer, but was also very interested in mathematics and natural sciences. Caldas therefore joined numerous scientific expeditions to research the then viceroyalty of New Granada , including those led by José Celestino Mutis and Alexander von Humboldt .
After the survey of July 20, 1810, Caldas became editor of the new government newspaper , the Diario Político . After Antonio Nariño came to power in September 1811, Caldas was employed as an engineer. In 1816 he was captured by Spanish royalists and publicly executed on October 29th . When the bystanders asked for the scholar's life, Pablo Morillo , Count of Cartagena is said to have replied: “España no necesita sabios” - Spain does not need any scholars. Francisco José de Caldas was a member of the Freemasons Association .
Honors
The Colombian province of Caldas was named after him in 1905. The genus Caldasia Humb was also named after him . ex Willd. as well as the magazine Caldasia named.
Literary works
- "El estado de la geografía del virreinato con relación a la economía y al comercio" (1807)
- "El influjo del clima sobre los seres organizados" (1808)
- "La Memoria sobre la Nivelación de las Plantas del Ecuador, Historia de Nuestra Revolución, Educación de Menores, Importancia del Cultivo de la Cochinilla y Chinchografía y Geografía de los Arboles de Quina
literature
- John Wilton Appel: Francisco José de Caldas: A Scientist at Work in Nueva Granada . Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1994.
- Thomas F. Glick: Science and Independence in Latin America (with Special Reference to New Granada) . In: The Hispanic American Historical Review , Duke UP, Vol. 71 # 2, 5/1991, 307-334.
Individual evidence
- ^ Eugen Lennhoff, Oskar Posner, Dieter A. Binder: Internationales Freemaurerlexikon , revised and expanded new edition of the 1932 edition, (p. 271, Lemma: Caldas, Francisco Jose de ) Munich 2003, 951 p., ISBN 3-7766-2161 -3
Web links
- colombialink.com article on Francisco Jose de Caldas
- Author entry and list of the plant names described for Francisco José de Caldas at the IPNI
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Caldas, Francisco José de |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Caldas y Tenorio, Francisco José de |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Botanist, astronomer and Latin American freedom hero |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 4, 1768 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Popayan |
DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 1816 |
Place of death | Bogotá |