José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez (20 November 1737 – 2 February 1799) was a priest in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, scientist, historian, and cartographer.

Life and career

Alzate Plano de la Nueva Espana 1770 UTA

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'' iterary Newspaper of Mexicowas suspended after only three months. He later created, in 1788, the ''Gaceta de Literatura'' ewspaper 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

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

s of Mexico and the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s entrusted him with sundry scientific missions. He was a member of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. He died in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

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") * 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 Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

in Mexico. He also wrote a dissertation on the use of

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

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 A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

(; México, D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). A study from 2020 confirms that he actively fought for the legislation of medical

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

. 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 The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. A dam and reservoir are named in his honor in the State of Mexico, north of Toluca. 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

References

volume 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1970. * Codding, Mitchell A., “Perfecting the geography of New Spain: Alzate and the Cartographic legacy of Sigüenza y Góngora,” ''Colonial Latin American Review'', vol 2, 1994, pp. 185–219. *Warren, J. Benedict, "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. * Alzate, Jose Antonio de, Memorias y Ensayos. Mexico: Universidad Autonoma de Mexico 1985. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alzate, Jose Antonio 1737 births 1799 deaths Writers from the State of Mexico People from Ozumba Mexican astronomers Mexican biologists Mexican cartographers Mexican people of Basque descent Catholic clergy scientists 18th-century cartographers 18th-century Mexican Roman Catholic priests 18th-century Mexican historians 18th-century Spanish male writers Colegio de San Ildefonso alumni

Life and career

Works

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading