José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez

José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez (20 November 1737 – 2 February 1799) was a priest in New Spain, scientist, historian, and cartographer.J. Benedict Warren, "An Introductory Survey of Secular Writings in the European Tradition on Colonial Middle America, 1503-1818, item 97, "José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, (1737-96)" in Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 13. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources, Howard F. Cline, volume editor. Austin: University of Texas Press 1973, p.90.

Life and career

He was born in Ozumba in 1737, the child of Felipe de Alzate and María Josefa Ramírez, a descendant of Juana Inés de la Cruz. He studied in the Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City, graduating with a bachelor in theology in 1756. He was ordained a Catholic priest at the age of 20."Jose Antonio de Alzate and Ramirez ". Biblioteca Virtual Ignacio Larramendi: Colección de Polígrafos Hispanoamericanos. Fundación Ignacio Larramendi. URL accessed 2006-09-27.

Inaugurated in 1768, his Diario literario de Méjico [Literary Newspaper of Mexico] was suspended after only three months. He later created, in 1788, the Gaceta de Literatura [Newspaper of Literature], that was published until 1795 (115 issues). This periodical inspired many of his countrymen to follow his example.

Alzate was a controversial figure, frequently meeting with local opposition. Nevertheless, the French and Spanish Academies of Sciences made him a corresponding member. The viceroys of Mexico and the archbishops entrusted him with sundry scientific missions.

He invented the ballcock in 1790.

He was a member of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. He died in Mexico City in 1799.

Works Alzate wrote more than thirty treatises, on subjects including astronomy, physics, meteorology, antiquities, mathematics, and metallurgy. These include: ("Weather observations"), 1769 ("Observation of the passage of Venus by the disc of the Sun"), 1770 ("Model and description of the furnaces of Almadén") Notes, additions and maps for Francisco Javier Clavijero's ("Ancient History of Mexico") ("Map of North America")

He also published nearly 300 articles on various scientific topics.

Alzate attained a high reputation as a zoologist and botanist. He conducted several scientific experiments, and wrote numerous articles that were published in science journals. Several of his papers discuss the growing of silk in Mexico. He also wrote a dissertation on the use of ammonia in combating mephitic gases in abandoned mines.

In 1772, he published work that showed that the well-known psychedelic effects of pipiltzintzintli were due to natural causes and not the work of the devil (; México, D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).Brad Richard Huber, Alan R. Sandstrom. Mesoamerican Healers. University of Texas Press. . p 62. A study from 2020 confirms that he actively fought for the legislation of medical cannabis.

Alzate's account of Xochicalco was the first published description of the ruins. His research led the way for modern exploration of Mexican antiquities.

Legacy

In his honor, the (Antonio Alzate Scientific Society) was created in 1884. In 1935, this society became the National Academy of Sciences. A dam and reservoir are named in his honor in the State of Mexico, north of Toluca."Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Urban Water Management in Mexico City . LEAD Case Study. URL accessed 2006-09-28. Plant genus Alzatea (the only genus in Alzateaceae) is named after him.Ruiz Lopez H, Pavon JA (1794) Florae Peruvianae et Chilensis Prodromus. Madrid: Imprenta de Sancha

See also List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics Spanish American Enlightenment

References

José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez

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