Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi (alternatively known in Latin America as Agustín Codazzi; 12 July 1793 – 7 February 1859) was an

Italo-Venezuelan Italian Venezuelans are Venezuelan citizens of Italian descent. The word may refer to someone born in Venezuela of Italian descent or to someone who has emigrated to Venezuela from Italy. Italians were among the largest groups of European immigrant ...

soldier, scientist, geographer, cartographer, and governor of Barinas (1846–1847). He made his main investigations and cartographic work in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, thereby creating for both countries a complete set of maps and statistics after the tumultuous years following independence from the Spanish Empire.

Biography

Codazzi was born in the Italian city of

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

. Since young he appreciated the ideals of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and, after his studies at the military academy "Scuola di Artiglieria" of

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...

, actively served in the

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Army. With the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 Codazzi moved away from Italy and after some travels went to

, where he offered his military knowledge to

Simon Bolivar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

.Biography (in Italian)
/ref> Successively he received the task of mapping the area of the

Maracaibo Lake Lake Maracaibo (Spanish: Lago de Maracaibo; Anu: Coquivacoa) is a lagoon in northwestern Venezuela, the largest lake in South America and one of the oldest on Earth, formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains. The fault in the northern sec ...

and the borders between

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. The Venezuelan government named him Colonel and ordered the creation of an Atlas of Venezuela, a task that gave him international fame (in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Codazzi was awarded in 1842 the ''Legion of Honor'' by the King of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, on behalf of the French Academy of Science). Agustin Codazzi meanwhile took the Venezuelan citizenship from president

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan leader who fought against the Spanish Crown for Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan War of Independence. He later led Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia. H ...

and became Governor of Barinas, a region of southwestern Venezuela. In those years his academic activity of geographer was continuously interrupted by his duties as a military commander, suffocating many revolts. Codazzi even promoted the creation in the 1840s of the

Colonia Tovar Colonia Tovar ( en, Tovar Colony) is a town of Venezuela, capital of the municipality Tovar in Aragua state. It is located about west of Caracas. It was founded on April 8, 1843, by a group of 390 immigrants from the then independent state of th ...

, a small German settlement in the Venezuelan central mountains that still exists today and has become one of the main tourist attractions near

Maracay ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second:Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maracay ...

. With the fall of Páez, after a military insurrection, Codazzi was forced to escape to

Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...

(Colombia), where he continued his geographic and mapping activity with military duties for the Colombian government. In 1852 Codazzi did a scientific and cartographic inspection of

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

for the British government: in 1854, even if with no official mention of Codazzi's work, the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

project was done following exactly his indications and route. Codazzi died of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

in February 1859 at the small town of Espíritu Santo in the Colombian mountains, in the arms of his friend

Manuel María Paz Manuel María Paz Delgado (July 6, 1820, Almaguer, Cauca, Colombia - September 16, 1902 Bogotá) was a Colombian cartographer, military officer, artist and watercolorist. Biography Manuel María Paz Delgado was born June 6, 1820 in the town o ...

, while he was mapping the area for the Comisión Corográfica. The town where he died has been renamed "Aldea Codazzi", and now is a city with a population of nearly 70,000 inhabitants. Venezuela honored the memory of Agustin Codazzi placing his remains inside the

National Pantheon of Venezuela The National Pantheon of Venezuela (''Panteón Nacional de Venezuela'') is a final resting place for national heroes. The Pantheon (Latin ''Pantheon'', from Greek ''Pantheon,'' meaning " Temple of all the Gods") was created in the 1870s on th ...

in 1942, where he is considered one the Heroes of Venezuela. Colombia's national geographical and cartographical institute, a government agency, is named after Agustin Codazzi ( Instituto Geográfico Agustin Codazzi).

Works

This is a list of main works of Agostino Codazzi: * ''Carta al padre'' (1817). * ''Lettera, Imola'' (1823). * ''Memorie inedite di Agostino Codazzi sui suoi viaggi per l'Europa e nelle Americhe'' (1830). * ''Las Memorias'', traducción, presentación y notas de Marisa Vannini de Gerulewicz, Caracas, 1970. * ''Memorias'', traducido al español por Andrés Soriano Lleras y Alberto Lee Lopez, Bogotá, 1973. * ''Geografia de Venezuela, informes provinciales'' (1837). * ''Notas sobre la Colonia Tovar''. * ''El arte de la guerra''. * ''Lecciones de Artilleria''. * ''Informes sobre demarcaciones que mas naturai y permanente puedan dividir las Provincias del Estado'' (1838). * ''Informe sobre conducta de algunos curas''. * ''Instrucciones y Proclama al pueblo de Barinas con motivo de las elecciones''. * ''Decretos, ordenanzas, etc, de Agustin Codazzi en su calidad de Gobernador de Barinas'' (1846–1847). * ''Cartas a Alexander Benitz'' (1841–1844). * ''Cartas e informes sobre los trabajos de la Comisión Corográfica'' (1850–1859). * ''Defensa de la Plaza de San Fernando en la segunda infidencia del Coronel Farfán'' (1837). * ''República de Venezuela. Comisión Corográfica'' (1839). * ''Prospecto de un plano general de Venezuela, y dos mapas, uno histórico y otro geográfico de su territorio'' (1839). * ''Atlas Físico y Político de la República de Venezuela, dedicado por su autor, el Coronel de Ingenieros Agustín Codazzi al Congreso constituyente de 1830'' (1841). * ''Catecismo de la Geografía de Venezuela precedido de unas breves nociones de Geografia General y de Cosmografía'' (1841). * ''Informe del Coronel A.C. al Secretano de Estado etc.; Prospecto de la empresa de la Colonia Tovar'' (1842). * ''Proyecto de poblar con las razas teutónicas los terrenos altos y hasta hoy incultos de Venezuela'' (1842). * ''Exposición que presenta el Gobernador de la Provincia de Barinas a la H. Diputación Provincial en su reunión ordinaria de 1846'' (1846). * ''Notas del Gobernador al Juez de Primera Instancia; Orden inconstitucional'' (1846). * ''Exposición que presenta el Gobernador de la Provincia de Barinas a la H. Diputación Provincial en su reunión ordinaria de 1847'' (1847). * ''Apuntaciones sobre inmigración y colonización'' (1850). * ''Geografía fisica y politica de la Provincia de Ocaña'' (1850). * ''Informe sobre la provincia de Antioquia'' (1852). * ''Informe sobre la Provincia del Chocó'' (1853). * ''Informe sobre la Provincia de Barbacoas'' (1853). * ''Apuntes de viaje'' (1853). * ''Restimeli del diario histórico del Ejército del Atlàntico, Istmo y Mompós llamado después Ejército del Norte, levantado i mandado por el ciudadano Jeneral en Jefe Tomàs Cipriano de Mosquera'' (1854). * ''Informe sobre la Provincia de Buenaventura'' (1855). * ''Informe sobre la Provincia de Casanare'' (1856). * ''Geografía física y política de las Provincias de la Nueva Granada. Provincias del Socorro y Vélez'' (1856). * ''Geografía física y política de las Provincias de la Nueva Granada. Provincias de Tunja y Tundama'' (1857). * ''Informe sobre los trabajos botánicos'' (1856). * ''Informe sobre los trabajos geográficos de Cundinamarca'' (1857). * ''Informe sobre límites entre Antioquia y Cauca'' (1857). * ''Sobre las vías de comunicación del Estado de Cundinamarca'' (1858). * ''Exposición del plan de la obra de la Geografia generai de la república'' (1857). * ''Descripción del territorio del Caquetá: aspecto del país'' (1857). * ''Antigüedades indígenas. Ruinas de San Agustín'' (1858). * ''Carta geográfica de los Estados Unidos de Colombia, antigua Nueva Granada'' (1864). * ''Atlas Geográfico e Histórico de la República de Colombia (antigua Nueva Granada)'' (1889).

Maps in his ''Memorias''

* ''Carta dell'América Meridionale''. * ''Carta del Golfo del México, delle isole e paesi adiacenti''. * ''Isola della Vecchia Providenza''. * ''Carta della baia di Honduras''. * ''Carta delle Provincie di Panama, Cioccò, Cartagena, etc''. * ''Carta dei due camini che da S.Fe di Bogotá portano alla provincia del Cioccò estratta dalle carte del fuggitivo Viceré Samano regnante in S.Fe''. * ''Carta del fiume Atrato fin alla capitale del Cioccò estratta da una carta del fuggitivo Viceré Samano regnante in Santa Fé di Bogotá''.

Maps while in Venezuela

* ''Esbozo de un plano de la región de Maracaibo'' (1828–1829). * ''Plano topográfico del terreno por donde puede atacar el enemigo a Maracaibo'' (1828–1829). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Barquisimeto'' (1832). * ''Mapa de un sector de la provincia de la Guayana con indicación de los asentamientos indígenas'' (1838). * ''Mapa Físico y Político de la República de Venezuela (1840). * ''Plano militar de las islas de San Carlos y Bajo Seco'' (1848).

Maps while in Nueva Granada (actual Colombia)

* ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Tundama'' (1850). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Tunja'' (1850). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Vélez'' (1850). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Socorro'' (1850). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Soto'' (1851). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Córdoba'' (1852). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Medellín'' (1852). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Barbacoas'' (1853). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Túquerres'' (1853). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia del Chocó'' (1853–1855). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Buenaventura'' (1855). * ''Mapa Corográfico de la Provincia de Casanare'' (1856). * ''Mapa Corográfico del Estado de Panamá'' (1856). * ''Mapa Corográfico del Estado de Cundinamarca'' (1858). * ''Croquis varios de la Comisión Corográfica''. * ''Carta Geográfica de los Estados Unidos de Colombia'' (1865).

Notes

External links

Biography of Codazzi: ''Agustin Codazzi, Vida y Empresas'', by Giorgio Antei (in Italian & Spanish)

Photo of Agostino Codazzi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Codazzi, Agostino 1793 births 1859 deaths People from Lugo, Emilia-Romagna Italian emigrants to Venezuela Italian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Deaths from malaria Burials at the National Pantheon of Venezuela