Antonio Fernández del Riego (Vilanova de Lourenzá, Lugo, 14 February 1914 – Lugo, 5 May 2008) was a Galician chemist, pharmacist, and oceanographer. He was a professor of chemistry at the University School of Technical Industrial Engineering of Vigo and an oceanographer at the Spanish Oceanographic Institute in Vigo. He played a key role in the localisation of the prehistoric site of Las Gándaras de Budiño and published numerous scientific papers on oceanography and marine pollution.
Biography
Education He completed his university baccalaureate in Sciences at the College of Nosa Señora da Antiga in Monforte de Lemos (Lugo, Spain), finishing in 1931. He obtained degrees in pharmacy (1936)University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Degree in Pharmacy, Folio 56, No. 131 (in AGA: General Administration Archive) and in Chemistry (1942)USC, Degree in Sciences, USC academic year 1942–43 Folio 6, no. 3 (in A.G.A. Spain) from the University of Santiago de Compostela. He collaborated for four years as a laboratory assistant to Professor Ricardo Montequi at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Santiago de Compostela.
He served in the army during the Spanish Civil War with the Light Artillery Regiment of A Coruña, stationed in Seville and Salamanca, until being assimilated as a 3rd Class Pharmacist. He was subsequently assigned to Valladolid, Salamanca, Castellón, and Valencia as Head of Pharmacy Services and Head of Pharmacy of Military Hospitals.Personal archive, General Military Archive of Segovia (Spain) After the war, he settled in Vigo in 1940 and completed his degree in Sciences at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Professional career He worked as a chemist in the Santa Clara porcelain factory and taught in private schools. He obtained a position as an assistant at the University School of Technical Industrial Engineering of Vigo and passed two consecutive competitive examinations, becoming a Tenured Assistant of ChemistryOfficial Spanish State Gazette (BOE) 311 of 07/11/1945 p. 2847 and almost immediately a professor.Official Spanish State Gazette (BOE) 13 of 13/01/1946 p. 394
He directed the Military Pharmacy in Vigo and later worked as Technical Director of the Northwest Pharmaceutical Cooperative (COFANO).Spanish Newspaper "La Noche" 28/03/1958. Article by Mezquita He also held the position of Meritorious Assistant of Industrial Mastery Schools.Official Spanish Gazette (B.O.E.) 103, April 29, 1964
In early 1946, he began working at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Vigo,Ministerial Order of the Spanish Ministry of the Navy (D.O. No. 54) of February 7, 1946 where he later obtained the position of Oceanographer through competitive examination.Ministerial Order O.M. of the Spanish Ministry of Commerce of January 4, 1965
He contributed to the rapid resolution of the methyl alcohol poisoning incident in Spain between late 1962 and early 1963, carrying out numerous analyses. He also mentored the French postgraduate student Henri Nonn, assisting him in completing his doctoral thesis on the Rías Baixas.Nonn, Henri. Les régions côtières de la Galice (Espagne): étude géomorphologique, 1966. Strasbourg.
Archaeological Collaboration During his collaboration with Henri Nonn for the latter's doctoral thesis on coastal geomorphology, Fernández del Riego accompanied him in prospections across various areas, including Las Gándaras de Budiño. It was in this context that the Paleolithic site was located; although the first lithic tool was found by Nonn, Fernández del Riego quickly identified the site's significance and facilitated access. Despite his decisive role in the localisation and initial direction, he ceded the primary academic credit to Nonn, who expressed particular gratitude for this collaboration in the introduction to his thesis.Nonn, Henri. Les régions côtières de la Galice (Espagne): étude géomorphologique, 1966. Strasbourg, p. 8.
The site was subsequently excavated and studied by Emiliano Aguirre starting in 1963, after being indicated by Fernández del Riego.Aguirre, Emiliano. Las Gándaras de Budiño. Madrid 1964, pp. 3–4. The discovery of the "Biface de San Mauro" at the site was officially recognized by the Vigo City Council.Vigo City Council. "Biface de San Mauro. Xacemento GA36057ACH-03". (In Galician).
He also translated Nina Epton's book Grapes and Granite into Spanish, which was later translated into Galician by his brother, Francisco Fernández del Riego.
Scientific Publications Fernández del Riego published over 20 scientific articles in the Bulletin of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and the journal Investigaciones Pesqueras. His research covered phytoplanktonology, seawater chemistry, metal pollution, and fish product alteration. Notable works include his studies on the seasonal variation of sardines (1948), the use of fish waste for the FAO (1957), and the distribution of lignin in Galician estuaries (1973). He also maintained technical correspondence with international institutions such as the University of California, the FAO, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
His work has been cited in major geological and oceanographic studies, including those by Karl Butzer regarding the stratigraphy of the Paleolithic site of BudiñoButzer, Karl W. Geomorphology and Stratigraphy of the Paleolithic Site of Budiño (Pontevedra, Spain). Chicago 1967, pp. 95, 102. and historical accounts of the Vigo Oceanographic Center by González-Garcés Santiso.González-Garcés Santiso, Alberto; Lens Lourido, Santiago; Tenreiro López, Uxía. "History of the Oceanographic Center of Vigo. The early years: 1917-1974". Bulletin of the Institute of Vigueses Studies 2011, 16 (11), pp. 143–206.
References
Further reading Nonn, Henri. Contribution to the study of the ancient beaches of Galicia (Spain). Works of the Geological Laboratory of Lage. Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. Nº50. Spanish version by E. Torre Enciso 1958. Torre Enciso, Uxío. "Avanzos no coñecimento da xeomorfoloxía de Galicia". Real Academia Galega: Discurso de recepción e resposta de Isidro Parga Pondal. 24/10/1970. "Mussel farming in Galicia: The past and the future of a 'star product'". Faro de Vigo, June 19, 2014. (Mentions his legacy in marine biology).