José Torrubia
José Torrubia (* 1698 in Granada , † April 17, 1761 in Rome ) was a Spanish Franciscan , missionary and pioneer of natural history and paleontology in Spain.
Torrubia was sent as a missionary to the Philippines from 1721 to 1733 , where he was guardian of the monastery of Polo near Manila from 1732 . In 1735 he returned to Spain via Mexico and Cuba. From 1745 to 1749 he traveled to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. In 1750 he returned and toured Italy and France, making contacts with scientists. As archivist and chronicler of the order, he wanted to write the history of the Franciscan order and therefore went to Rome, where he died.
In addition to his missionary work, he studied natural history and collected fossils that he believed to be the remains of living things before the Flood. His publication on it (Aparato para la historia natural Espanola, 1754) is the first Spanish treatise on paleontology. In it he also deals with the fossils of giants , from today's perspective fossils of preforms of the elephant, which were often found in Mexico at that time. He also published on many other subjects such as the Philippines, the chronicle of his order and against the Freemasons, which was also translated into German.
Fonts
- Centinela contra los Francs Massones, Madrid 1752 and more
- German translation: Sentinel against the Freemasons 1785, The Despicable Institute of the Freemasons, 1786
- Disertacion historico politica, y en mucha parte geografica, de las Islas Filipinas, Madrid 1753
- Chronica de la Seraphica Religion del Glorioso Patriarcha San Francisco de Assis, Rome 1756
- El Aparato para la Historia Natural Espanola. Madrid 1754 (a facsimile edition of the Spanish Paleontological Society appeared in 1994)
- German translation: Joseph's father's Torrubia preparation for the natural history of Spain: provided with 14 copper plates which represent many fossils that are found in the Spanish countries of different parts of the world. Translated from Spanish and accompanied by notes, along with additions and news about the latest Portuguese literature; by Christoph Gottlieb von Murr, JJ Gebauer's widow and Johann Jacob Gebauer, Halle 1773, Internet Archive
- La Gigantologia spagnola vendicata dal MRP Giuseppe Torrubia, Naples 1760
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Torrubia, José |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish Franciscan and naturalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1698 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Granada |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 17, 1761 |
| Place of death | Rome |