Ferdinand Konščak
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Fernando Consag, known in his native Croatian as Ferdinand Konščak (December 2, 1703 – September 10, 1759), was a Croatian
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
,
explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...
and
cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an ...
, who spent most of his life in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, in
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
.


Education

Consag was born in
Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...
, Croatia, and attended primary and secondary school in his native city. At sixteen he finished the expected grades and was admitted to the novitiate of the
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
in Trencsén, Hungary (now
Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest muni ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
), where he stayed for two years. He was then sent to
Leoben Leoben () is a Styrian city in central Austria, located on the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, an armistice bet ...
in
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...
to study classics, stylistics, and rhetoric. Later he studied philosophy in
Graz, Austria Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
and in 1725–1726 he lectured on the elements of grammar at the Jesuit Academy in
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
in Croatia. In 1726–1727 he taught classical studies at a secondary school in
Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...
in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
. In 1728 Consag published a collection of poems titled ''Nagadia versibus latinus'', which is kept at
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
. From 1727 to 1729 he studied
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
at the
University of Graz The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The univers ...
.


Missionary

In 1729, Consag left for
Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, then went to
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, where he was active as a missionary on
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the A ...
's Baja California Peninsula (today part of
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
), from 1732 to the end of his life. His headquarters was at Mission San Ignacio. From 1748 he acted as the superior of the mission and later, in 1758, inspector of all missions in Baja California. Consag spoke various dialects of the local
Cochimí The Cochimí were the indigenous inhabitants of the central part of the Baja California peninsula, from El Rosario in the north to San Javier in the south. Information on Cochimí customs and beliefs has been preserved in the brief observati ...
language. He directed and oversaw the building of new missions, aqueducts, embankments, drainage channels, and the first silver mines. He died at San Ignacio in 1759.


Expeditions

Consag mounted three expeditions (in 1746, 1751 and 1753) systematically exploring previously unknown parts of the peninsula. In June and July 1746 he was sent by sea to the head of the
Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...
in order to investigate the disputed question of whether Baja California was an island. Although he closely followed the coast and reached the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
, the issue continued to be in dispute for nearly another three decades His second expedition comprised a journey by land across the peninsula to the Pacific coast. The third expedition went up the western side of the peninsula, to around 30 degrees of latitude near Bahía San Luis Gonzaga. During his expeditions, Consag recorded information on the peninsula's unknown topography, natural resources, and native inhabitants.


Maps and writings

On the basis of the data obtained, Consag made a precise map of Baja California (1748) and a map of the Gulf of California (around 1750). His maps of the regions explored were popular at the time frequently copied and used.
Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the '' Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promi ...
and
D'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the '' Encyclopé ...
used some of them within the French encyclopedia, where his name is cited as "P. Consaqua".
Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister ...
used the maps in his work ''Carte generale ... de la Nouvelle Espagne'', (Paris, 1804). The same is the case with Arrowsmith in his book ''Map of America'', published in London in 1805. His diaries, after his death translated and reprinted into many languages, were published during his lifetime by Villa-Señor y Sanchez, Ortega-Balthasar, and Venegas-Buriel. The 1761 copy of his
manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...
on California is held in the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
. His ''Carta del P. Fernando Consag de la Compañia de Jesus, Visitador de las Misiones de Californias'' are kept at: * British Museum in London *
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
in
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
* John Carter Library in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
* Honnold-Mudd Library of the
Claremont Colleges The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)— Pomona College, Sc ...
in
Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popu ...
*
The Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
in San Marino, California Seven copies of maps are published by Ernest J. Burrus. Consag's name has also been associated with two anonymous accounts of Baja California: ''Descripción compendiosa de lo descubierto y conocido de la California'' and ''Adiciones'' to the same. Homer Aschmann in 1966 and Damir Zorić in 2000 suggested that Consag was the author of the second of these, while Miguel León-Portilla in 1988 suggested that he wrote the first.


Legacy

There is an outcrop in the northern Gulf of California named Roca Consag, located offshore near San Felipe. Consag mapped many
water spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...
s so that even today there are shops and other facilities in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
bearing his name like "Licores Konsag", (
Liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or h ...
Store and Market), "Konsaqua" (purified
water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...
).


References

* Aschmann, Homer. 1959. ''The Central Desert of Baja California: Demography and Ecology''. Iberoamericana, Vol. 42. University of California, Berkeley. * Aschmann, Homer. 1966. ''The Natural and Human History of Baja California''. Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles. * Burrus, Ernest J. 1967. ''La obra cartográfica de la Provincia Mexicana de la Compañía de Jesús, 1567–1967''. J. Porrúa Turanzas, Madrid. * Barco, Miguel del. 1988. ''Historia natural y crónica de la antigua California''. Edited by Miguel León-Portilla. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City. * Consag, Ferdinand. 1985. ''Descripción compendiosa de lo descubierto y conocido de la California, 1746''. Edited by Catalina Velázquez Morales. Centro de Investigaciones Históricas UNAM-UABC, Mexicali, Mexico. * Dunne, Peter Masten. 1952. ''Black Robes in Lower California''. University of California Press, Berkeley. * Krmpotić, M. D. 1923. ''The Life and Works of the Reverend Ferdinand Konschak S.J.'' Stratford, Boston. * Lazcano Sahagún, Carlos. 2001. ''Fernando Consag: textos y testimonios''. Fundación Barco, Municipalidad de Varazdin, Museo de Historia de Ensenada, Seminario de Historia de Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico. * Ortega, José de. 1944. ''Apostólicos afanes de la Compañía de Jesús en su provincia de México''. Luis Álvarez y Álvarez de la Cadena, Mexico City. * Venegas, Miguel. 1757. ''Noticia de la California y de su conquista temporal, y espíritual hasta el tiempo presente''. 3 vols. M. Fernández, Madrid. * Zevallos, Francisco. 1968. ''The Apostolic Life of Fernando Consag, Explorer of Lower California''. Edited by Manuel P. Servin. Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles. * Zorić, Damir. 2000. ''Misionar i kultura drugih: etnologijska istraživanja Ferdinanda Konšćaka (1703–1759) u donjoj Kaliforniji''. HKD Napredak, Sarajevo, Bosnia.


External links


Croatian Cartographers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konscak, Ferdinand 1703 births 1759 deaths University of Graz alumni Croatian explorers Hungarian expatriates in the Spanish Empire Explorers of North America Croatian Jesuits Croatian cartographers History of Baja California Croatian Roman Catholic missionaries Burials in Mexico People from Varaždin Explorers of Mexico Jesuit missionaries Croatian expatriates in Mexico Roman Catholic missionaries in New Spain History of Varaždin