FRANCISCO JOSÉ DE CALDAS: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS, WORKS - ARTE - 2025

Francisco José de Caldas (1768-1816) was a Colombian scientist, geographer, botanist, astronomer, naturalist, journalist, and military engineer. This versatile man also stood out for participating in the independence process of New Granada.

As a scientist, Caldas was outstanding. His knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and physics gave him the nickname "The Wise." One of the greatest contributions that this illustrious character made to science was the invention of the hypsometer, a device designed to measure the altitude of places.

Portrait of Francisco José de Caldas. Source: Rodríguez, via Wikimedia Commons

The intellectual had a prominent participation in the Royal Botanical Expedition of 1805, led by José Celestino Mutis. Their investigations served to establish the use of the found materials. Caldas was the first director of the Astronomical Observatory of Bogotá and published several articles of scientific and geographical content.

Biography

Birth and family

Francisco José de Caldas y Tenorio was born on October 4, 1768 in the town of Popayán in the department of Cauca, Colombia. He came from a family of Spanish descent, educated and from a good socioeconomic position. His parents were José de Caldas and Vicenta Tenorio.

Studies

Caldas studied his first years of study at institutions in the city where he was born, including the Colegio Seminario de Popayán. In his childhood years, his taste and ability to understand science awakened. To please his parents, when he was twenty he went to Bogotá to study law at the Universidad del Rosario.

The young Francisco José de Caldas returned to Popayán after completing his university studies. There he dedicated himself to working in the family companies and dedicated himself to studying mathematics, physics, astronomy and botany on his own.

It was at this time that Caldas read the works of the researchers Charles de La Condamine and the Jesuit priest Joseph Gumilla.

First investigations

Caldas' first investigations took place in Popayán, in regions near this town and in Ecuador. In his travels as a merchant through these areas, he took the opportunity to study the geography, astronomy, altitude, latitude and archeology of the towns he visited to expand his scientific knowledge and correct established data.

At that time, the scientist did not have the necessary instruments to carry out all his research, but that did not stop him. His intelligence and ingenuity allowed him to create his own work tools, such as: a gnomon, to measure time with the help of the sun; and the hypsometer, to measure the altitude of the places.

Caldas and botany

Francisco José de Caldas was dedicated to commerce between 1793 and 1801 and at the same time made his scientific developments. However, he stopped his astronomical work because he did not have sufficient resources for research. The aforementioned led him to focus on botany.

Later, Ignacio de Pombo (his business partner) put him in contact with José Celestino Mutis, in charge of the Royal Botanical Expedition. From his conversations with Mutis his curiosity about the cinchona plant originated and he began to inquire about its benefits.

Caldas's studies on this matter complemented José Celestino's research.

Ecuador Weather

Caldas undertook a trip to Quito (Ecuador) in 1801 to expand his botanical research. At that time he met the German expeditionary Alexander Von Humboldt, who was amazed at his scientific talent.

At first, Humboldt considered taking him on his trip to America, but Humboldt later backed off and chose the son of the Marquis de Selvalegre. The young scientist stayed in Quito and made several observations of the environment, which led him to publish the text "The true height of the Cerro de Guadalupe" in 1801.

Caldas' intense investigations resulted in the works Journey from Quito to the shores of the Pacific Ocean by Malbucho and Journey to the heart of Barnuevo. This happened three years after his hard work.

Caldas in the Royal Botanical Expedition

Portrait of José Celestino Mutis, who inspired a large part of Caldas's botanical work. Source: Oil painting by R. Cristobal, canvas 122 x 92.6 cm, via Wikimedia Commons

Francisco José de Caldas joined the Royal Botanical Expedition led by José Celestino Mutis in 1805 and was appointed director of the Astronomical Observatory that same year by decision also of Mutis. He toured the regions of Guáitara, Chota, Pasto, Quilichao, Cali, Popayán, Guanacas and Neiva.

Caldas's work in this expedition resulted in two descriptive volumes about the people of those areas, their customs and problems. He also collected information on plants and their healing powers, agriculture, mineral resources, diseases and literary knowledge.

The New Kingdom of Granada Weekly

The death of Mutis in 1808 changed the dynamics of the Royal Expedition and the observatory was a meeting point to discuss the independence of New Granada. This motivated Caldas to create the Semanario del Nuevo Reino de Granada in 1808, which circulated for two years.

Articles related to politics, culture and science were published in that print medium. There Caldas published several articles, the best known were "State of the geography of the Viceroyalty of Santa Fe de Bogotá, in relation to the economy and trade" and "On the influence of the climate on organized beings."

Political and military life

Caldas was related to the process of freedom of New Granada. After the cry for independence in 1810, he proposed to organize a government junta to accept King Fernando VII. In that same year he married María Manuela Barona.

Portrait of Antonio Nariño, president of Nueva Granada, whom Caldas opposed. Source: José María Espinosa Prieto, via Wikimedia Commons

Francisco José de Caldas served as captain of the Corps of Engineers in 1811, after the appointment made by the president of New Granada Antonio Nariño. A year later he received the rank of lieutenant colonel and ignored Nariño's authority, placing his signature on an official record.

Antioquia weather

Caldas's opposition to Nariño led him to fight against him in 1813, but his side was defeated. So Francisco José went to Antioquia for fear of being attacked. In that city he exercised the management of factories and weapons engineering.

After that, Caldas was in charge of the construction of buildings on the Cauca River and also established a rifle and gunpowder company between 1813 and 1814.

At the same time, Caldas created the first Academy of Engineers in Medellín and in 1815, President Camilo Torres y Tenorio (his cousin) assigned him various tasks, including the design of the Atlas of New Granada.

Last years and death

The last years of Caldas's life were dedicated to science and botany. He ventured into politics and the military, after several jobs in these areas he served in the northern army and was surprised by the invasion of the Spanish who resisted the loss of the conquered territories.

Some time later he was arrested and presented to Viceroy Juan Sámano. They took him to Bogotá and started a trial against him. Francisco José de Caldas was convicted on October 28, 1816 and the next day he was shot in Santa Fe with other personalities such as José Miguel Montalvo, Miguel Buch and Francisco Antonio Ulloa.

Contributions to science and others

The contributions of Francisco José de Caldas to science were important, despite the limitations of the time in which he carried them out. The intellectual focused on raising the need to know the ethnography and geography of America in order to find the ways of freedom.

Some of his scientific work was related to altitude and how this influenced the temperature at which distilled water boiled. She concluded that the higher the altitude, the lower the boiling point. For this research he invented the instrument called hypsometer.

Geography

Although Caldas was named as the first Colombian scientist, his greatest contributions were in the geographical area. He advocated the creation of a geographical charter, with the aim of limiting territories and thus facilitating trade and land sovereignty.

The scientist made known the benefits of the ecosystems of New Granada to enhance their development. On the other hand, he defended the geographical position of America, its citizens and landscapes. Francisco José also developed several maps in which he emphasized the diversity of the land for livestock and agricultural production.

Botany

Caldas' work in botany was closely related to the Royal Expedition of José Celestino Mutis. The tours he made through Nueva Granada allowed him to determine the variety of seeds and plants typical of the region, their usefulness, commercial value and medicinal properties. This influenced the commerce of the time.

Literature

The literary contribution of Francisco José de Caldas was linked to the importance of acquiring knowledge in order to value freedom and national identity. Although he defended American traditions, he considered it relevant to join the advanced thinking of the intellectuals of the European continent.

Caldas was able to communicate his scientific and political thinking through literature with the founding of the New Kingdom of Granada Weekly. That laid the foundation for freedom of expression and ideas for a nation that was on the verge of freedom. He also published his most important scientific texts.

Plays

- "The true height of the Cerro de Guadalupe" (1801). Article published in the newspaper Correo Curioso y Mercantil.

"On the influence of the climate on organized beings"

This writing from Caldas was published in 1808 in the Semanario del Nuevo Reino de Granada in publications numbered from twenty to thirty. The content of the work was related to the influence of the climate on the development of man and other living beings.

The scientist made a definition of the climate and the structure of the human body. For him the climate and food did not determine in its entirety the behavior of man, but considered that the human body was subject to laws of matter. For Caldas, mind, body and spirit were connected.

Fragment

References

1. Francisco José de Caldas. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Tamaro, E. (2019). Francisco José de Caldas. (N / a): Biographies and Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com.
3. Francisco José de Caldas. (2018). Colombia: Banrepcultural. Recovered from: encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org.
4. Francisco José de Caldas. (S. f.). Colombia: Colombian Association of Engineering Faculties. Recovered from: acofi.edu.co.
5. Tovar, D. (2018). Francisco José de Caldas and science in Colombia. Colombia: The Weather. Recovered from: eltiempo.com.