José Antonio Álvarez Condarco (1780–1855) was an Argentinian soldier, manufacturer of explosives 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 im ...

. He also served as Aide-de-camp and private secretary to general José de San Martín.

Biography

He was born at San Miguel de Tucumán in what was then the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata. His father was the

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

. In his youth, he belonged to a branch of the revolutionary

Lautaro Lodge The Lautaro Lodge ( es, Logia Lautaro) was a revolutionary secret lodge active in Latin American politics in the 19th Century. It was initially known as the Lodge of Rational Knights ( es, Logia de los Caballeros Racionales). Its initial purposes w ...

which had been established in Tucumán by José Moldes. In 1810, he was living in Buenos Aires and enthusiastically supported the May Revolution. At the end of that year, he and Antonio Álvarez Jonte were sent to Chile on a diplomatic mission, where they established a military alliance between the revolutionaries of both countries. From there, he relocated to Lima, where there were no similar revolutionary movements. After being arrested several times, he returned to Río de la Plata and settled in Córdoba.

Military career

In 1812, he became an officer in the artillery. His knowledge of explosives led him to be named director of the newly established gunpowder factory in Córdoba. In 1813, he participated in the campaigns of colonel Juan Gregorio de Las Heras in Chile, with the mission of managing the arsenal for the patriotic forces. There, he made friends with

Marcos González de Balcarce Marcos González de Balcarce (1777–1832) was an Argentine military commander and politician in the early 19th century. González de Balcarce was born in Buenos Aires. He was the son of General Francisco González de Balcarce and younger brot ...

, whom he employed as an intermediary for transmitting important messages to general San Martín, who was then the governor of Cuyo Province. San Martín valued his patriotism and decided that he wanted to have him by his side. Later, he sent him on a secret mission to Buenos Aires, to consult with Supreme Director Juan Martín de Pueyrredón. Together, they were able to establish what types and quantities of

war materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specific ...

would be necessary for the Andean campaign. At the end of 1816, San Martín sent him to Chile, with the apparent mission of delivering letters to

Casimiro Marcó del Pont Casimiro may refer to: *Casimiro (given name) Casimiro is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Casimiro de Abreu (1839–1860), Brazilian poet, novelist and playwright * Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825), Argentine militia officer a ...

, the Spanish governor. In reality, San Martín wanted to employ his skills as a cartographer to discover the best path for the army to cross the cordillera. He originally crossed through the

Paso de Los Patos The Paso de Los Patos ''(Passage of the Ducks)'' is an Andean mountain pass between Argentina and Chile, used by the main column of the Army of the Andes to cross the Andes in early 1817, in order to liberate Chile from Spain. It is located to the ...

. Marcó del Pont sent him to return by what he knew to be the shortest path, the

Paso de Uspallata The Uspallata Pass, Bermejo Pass or Cumbre Pass, is an Andean pass which provides a route between the wine-growing region around the Argentine city of Mendoza, the Chilean city Los Andes and Santiago, the Chilean capital situated in the central ...

. The maps that Álvarez Condarco drew from memory were essential to the successful Andean crossing to Chile made by the Army of the Andes. He acted as San Martín's ''aide-de-camp'' and fought in the Battle of Chacabuco. In 1818, he was sent to England with £20,000 to buy warships and recruit sailors for the

First Chilean Navy Squadron The First Chilean Navy Squadron was the heterogeneous naval force that terminated Spanish colonial rule in the Pacific and protagonized the most important naval actions of in the Latin American wars of independence. The Chilean revolutionary gov ...

. While there, he persuaded

Lord Thomas Cochrane Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquess of Maranhão (14 December 1775 – 31 October 1860), styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a British naval flag officer of the Royal Navy, mercenary and Radical politician. He was a s ...

to accept command of the squadron.

Later life

He retired from the army shortly after the Freedom Expedition of Perú and remained in Chile, where he was engaged in building roads. For a short time, he did the same in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and Mendoza Province. Afterwards, he returned to Chile, where he taught mathematics. For a time, he was chief of the Department of Engineering and Roads for the Republic of Chile. He was unable to return to Argentina because of his public opposition to the régime of

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...

. He lived in Chile until his death in 1855, in Santiago de Chile. He died in poverty and his friends had to cover the cost of his burial.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Condarco, Jose Antonio People of the Argentine War of Independence People from San Miguel de Tucumán 1780 births 1855 deaths