Augusto Nicolás Martínez (March 28, 1860 – March 19, 1946) was an Ecuadorian

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

, farmer, researcher, educator, and mountaineer.

Biography

Martínez was the son of Nicolás Martínez Vásconez and Adelaida Holguín Naranjo . He lived for a period in Martínez-Holguín House, in the northern outskirts of Ambato. His primary education was under Christian Brothers in

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...

. In 1874, he studied geology and the following year he studied German language under Father Luis Dressel. In 1880, Martinez conducted geological studies for a month in

Antisana Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at , and is located SE of the capital city of Quito. Antisana presents one of the most challenging technical climbs in the Ecuadorian A ...

, and wrote a report of his findings in

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

's ''La Nación''. Two years later, he served in the

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army ( es, ''Ejército Ecuatoriano'', italic=unset) is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 160,500 soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jung ...

Chambo Chambo is a city in Chimborazo Province, Ecuador. It is the county seat of the Chambo Canton. It is also the birthplace of former Ecuadorian president Osvaldo Hurtado (1981–84) as well as notable 19th-century educator Leopoldo Freire, entrepre ...

/ Quero cantons. He married Roxana Quirola Saá in April 1890. In the early 1890s, he found work as an assistant in the Astronomical Observatory of Quito, and later published ' (1896). He was appointed Director, Geology section, in the government of General Eloy Alfaro. He served again in the army in the

liberal revolution of 1895 The Liberal Revolution of 1895 took place in Ecuador, and was a period of radical social and political upheaval. The Revolution started on June 5, 1895 and ultimately resulted in the overthrow of the conservative government, which had ruled Ecuado ...

under General Francisco H. Moncayo, under whom he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In the early 1900s, Martinez published a series of works, including ' (1901), ' (1905), and ' (1905). As rector, he taught at the Eugenio Espejo School in 1904. He served as acting Governor of

Tungurahua Tungurahua (; from Quichua ''tunguri'' (throat) and ''rahua'' (fire), "Throat of Fire")) is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity resta ...

in 1906, and in the same year, he was professor of natural science at Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte. The following year, Martinez settled in Ambato and accepted the Chemistry Chair, a position he held until 1927; he also served as rector till 1910. Fluent in English, French and German as well as his native Spanish, he was corresponding member of the

National Academy of History The National Academy of the History of Venezuela is an institution dedicated to the study and promotion of the history of Venezuela. Specifically, the objective is the collection of bibliographic, newspaper, audiovisual or other documentation to lo ...

, the and . He translated several works into Spanish. He was awarded by the

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific me ...

for his work in 1920. The Colegio Augusto Nicolás Martínez in Ambato, established on 29 December 1994, is named in his honor. After retirement, he lived with his son Carlos. He died in Ambato of cardiac failure on 19 March 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Augusto Ecuadorian geologists Ecuadorian scientists Agronomists Ecuadorian mountain climbers 1860 births 1946 deaths People from Ambato, Ecuador Ecuadorian geographers