Juan Manuel Cajigal y Odoardo (1803 in

Barcelona, Anzoátegui Barcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela, with a population of approximately 950,000. ...

– 1856 in

Yaguaraparo Yaguaraparo is a town in Sucre (state), Sucre State, Venezuela. It is the capital of the Cajigal Municipality. Populated places in Sucre (state) {{SucreVE-geo-stub ...

Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...

) was a

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 ...

n mathematician, engineer and statesman. Juan Manuel Cajigal y Odoardo

Orphaned at age 7, he was raised in Spain by his cousin-once-removed,

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Juan Manuel Cajigal Juan Manuel Cajigal y Niño () (sometimes, Juan Manuel Cagigal y Niño in the orthography of the period) was a Spanish Captain General, born in Cádiz, in 1754. Biography With more than two decades of service, Cajigal arrived in Venezuela in ...

, former

captain general Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

of Venezuela and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He studied in the

University of Alcalá de Henares A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

and later in France, finishing his studies in 1828. He returned to Venezuela that year. He helped found the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País the following year, and in 1830 the government appointed him to create and direct the new Military Academy of Mathematics. He served in Congress twice, once in 1833 as representative of Caracas, and in 1835 as senator of Barcelona Province. With José Hermenegildo García and Fermín Toro he started the newspaper ''Correo de Caracas'', which ran from 1838 to 1841. His publications include ''Tratado de mecánica elemental'' ("Treatise on Fundamental

Mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objects r ...

") and ''Curso de astronomía y memorias sobre integrales entre límites'' ("Course on

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and Report on

Integral In mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented i ...

s between

Limits Limit or Limits may refer to: Arts and media * ''Limit'' (manga), a manga by Keiko Suenobu * ''Limit'' (film), a South Korean film * Limit (music), a way to characterize harmony * "Limit" (song), a 2016 single by Luna Sea * "Limits", a 2019 ...

"). The Juan Manuel Cajigal Naval Observatory in the 23 de Enero district of

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

(

Metro Station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...

: Caño Amarillo),

Juan Manuel Cajigal Municipality The Juan Manuel Cajigal Municipality is one of the 21 Municipalities of Venezuela, municipalities (municipios) that makes up the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzoátegui and, according to the 2011 census by the National Institute of Statistics of V ...

Anzoátegui ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Anzoátegui'' , image_map = Anzoategui in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_a ...

, and

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

(minor planet) 12359 Cajigal are named after him.

Sources

Nieschulz de Stockhausen, Elke. "Juan Manuel Cajigal y Odoardo," ''Diccionario de Historia de Venezuela''. Caracas: Fundacíon Polar, 1997. 1803 births 1857 deaths People from Barcelona, Venezuela Venezuelan engineers Venezuelan journalists Complutense University of Madrid alumni Venezuelan mathematicians Members of the Senate of Venezuela Members of the Venezuelan Chamber of Deputies 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century male writers Astronomy in Venezuela {{Venezuela-scientist-stub