JAVIER PULGAR VIDAL: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Javier Pulgar Vidal (1911-2003) was a famous Peruvian philosopher, lawyer, historian, university professor, and scientist. His most recognized achievement was the geographical division of Peru into eight zones, updating the antiquated division used by Spanish colonists.

Since Javier was a child, rivers and streams fascinated him, a fact that later influenced his later studies. His life was marked by the desire to search for knowledge, which he insisted on spreading with the creation of universities throughout his country.

Source: utadeo.edu.co

Not settling for a single area, Pulgar Vidal surrounded himself with the academic environment, walking through different positions: sometimes he was a student and other times he was director of the Department of Letters, in addition to other roles.

His life, as hermetic as his work is great, allows us to see only that creator and researcher man that we know today, and who was of great influence on the record of Peruvian geography.

Biography

Javier Pulgar Vidal was born on January 2, 1911 in Huánuco. From his childhood he showed an interest in geography, since his family's constant trips allowed him to see different landscapes.

His primary and secondary education was spent at the National College of Mining, located on the Huánuco peninsula.

University studies

In 1931 Javier Pulgar Vidal traveled to Lima to pursue higher studies at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, where he studied Letters.

While still a student, Pulgar Vidal was appointed Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Religion in 1932, as well as Assistant Professor of Geography in 1933. He graduated with a doctorate in History, Letters and Philosophy in 1938 with his thesis Introduction to the Study of the Huallaga River.

The young Pulgar Vidal stood out among his classmates not only for his brilliance, but for his provincial sympathy.

During his first university years he managed to establish a strong friendship with Pedro M. Benvenuto Urrieta. Together with Urrieta, Raúl Ferrero Rebagliati and Carlos Pareja Paz Soldán, Pulgar Vidal created the Guidance Office.

This served not only to guide new students to the university, but to attract outstanding young people from different regions to study at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

These trips together with the Orientation Office, in which he served as treasurer, allowed him to visit different provinces of Peru such as lca, Huánuco, Paita and Chincha.

Political participation

Javier Pulgar Vidal also became involved in national politics. In 1941, while in Huánuco, he was called by the then Minister of Public Works Promotion, Carlos Moreyra Paz Soldán, who was a former university colleague of his.

Moreira offered the post of secretary of the Ministry of Public Works to his old friend. During this period, the Peruvian researcher was able to travel to different regions unknown to him, as he had to supervise the state of buildings, mines, water, agriculture, livestock, public works and housing, among other aspects.

During his career as secretary of the ministry (a position he held until 1944), Pulgar Vidal was able to gain the trust of his superiors and other important men in the country's politics and economy. Among these men of politics was the Vice President of the United States, Henry Wallace.

During his visits to Peru, Wallace -who was a fan of nature- was guided by Pulgar Vidal through different regions. His deep knowledge of the areas awakened in the vice president an important interest in the Peruvian scholar.

Later, Pulgar Vidal traveled numerous times to Washington DC, where he worked as an analyst geographer. This geographer did not put aside his political work, since between 1945 and 1948 he served as a congressional deputy, representing Pachitea, Huánuco.

Nuptials and exile

In 1946 he worked as a professor of Geography of Peru at the University of San Marcos. His work was recognized with an Order of San Carlos in the degree of Santa Cruz, which was granted by the president of Colombia. In this same year he married Margarita Biber Poillevard, who was a doctor in Education.

Being a pioneer in his area, Pulgar Vidal did not stop investigating: in 1947 he founded the Institute of Geography, in which the Peruvian Toponymic Fund is located.

The coup d'état of Manuel A. Odría led the Peruvian geographer into exile in Bogotá, Colombia.

During his exile, Pulgar Vidal worked mainly as a university professor, as well as providing advice to the Comptroller General and the Ministry of Agriculture, institutions in which he set up an agricultural scientific registry or file.

In 1954 Pulgar Vidal founded his first university: the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, located in Bogotá. In this institution he served as dean of the Faculty of Natural Resources and Geographical Sciences.

Return to Peru

In 1958 the Peruvian researcher returned to Peru. There he founded the National University of the Center, located in the province of Huancayo. This same institution soon spread through nuclei located in Lima, Huacho, Huánuco and Cerro de Pasco.

Four years later, Pulgar Vidal returned to the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, where he served as director of the Department of Geography.

He became known as a formidable educator in his field: numerous students from all over the country attended his classes in search of the most detailed explanations of Peruvian geography. The Peruvian researcher was the director of numerous theses at the Department of Geography, until he decided to retire in 1975.

Recognitions

His work was widely recognized: he was awarded the Magisterial Palms of Peru, the Order of San Carlos (which was delivered by the president of Colombia) and the Grand Order of the Condor of Chavín.

He was also appointed honorary professor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, the National University of the Center of Peru and the National University of San Marcos.

Later he also worked as an advisor to the National Institute of Health, was head of the National Office for the Evaluation of Natural Resources and plenipotentiary ambassador of Peru in Colombia.

Last years

After a life dedicated to knowledge, Javier Pulgar Vidal decided to dedicate himself in his last years to consulting on the jungle regions of Peru, his object of fascination. The Peruvian academic died on May 18, 2003 in the city of Lima.

Contributions

In 1940 Pulgar Vidal presented one of his most important works: The eight natural regions of Peru. This title corresponds to his thesis that he presented at the Third General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History.

The importance of Pulgar Vidal's thesis lies in the new geographical classification he made of Peru: instead of being made up of just three regions (coast, mountains and silva), Pulgar Vidal made a division according to the flora, altitudinal floors and fauna of each zone.

This scholar noted the enormous biodiversity that the Peruvian territory harbors, with a total of 96 natural life zones. The eight regions in which Pulgar Vidal classified Peru are the following:

Yunga region

Altitude

500 meters to 2300 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Tacna, Chosica, Huánuco, Moquegua, Chachapoyas, Nazca and Majes.

Chala region

Altitude

0 meters and reaches up to 500 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Sullana, Callao, Trujillo, Ica, Lima, Pisco, Chimbote, Piura, Chiclayo and Tumbes.

Suni or Jalca Region

Altitude

3500 meters to reach 4000 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Puno, Ayaviri, Huancavelica, Juliaca, La Oroya, Sicuani, Espinar, Castrovirreyna and Ilave.

Quechua region

Altitude

2300 meters up to 3500 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Arequipa, Huamantanga, Huancayo, Cuzco, Matucana, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Abancay, Huaraz, Tarma, Chachapoyas, Huanta, Huamachuco, Canta, Yungay and Andahuaylas.

Janca Region

Altitude

4800 meters until reaching 6768 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Mining areas, such as Rinconada and Morococha. It also includes the region of glaciers.

Puna region

Altitude

4000 meters and reaches 4800 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Junín and Pasco, and in the Andean highlands it includes the Conococha, Bombón de Parinacochas and Castrovirreina plateaus.

Low Forest or Omagua Region

Altitude

80 meters and reaches 400 meters above sea level.

Main cities

A fraction of Ucayali, Loreto, San Martín, Amazonas, Iquitos, Huánuco, Puerto Maldonado and Pucallpa.

High Forest Region

Altitude

400 meters to reach 1000 meters above sea level.

Main cities

Jaén, Moyobamba, Chanchamayo, Tingo María, Bagua Grande, Nueva Cajamarca, Pichanaqui and Perené.

Works: publications

Javier Pulgar Vidal was a prolific researcher in the field of geography, with more than 50 publications. Among his outstanding works are the following:

Universities

In addition to being focused on geography, Pulgar Vidal also concentrated his efforts on the creation of a network of universities throughout Peru, among which the following stand out:

-National University of the Center, based in Huancayo.

-National University Federico Villareal.

-National University Hermilio Valdizán, based in the city of Huánuco.

-National University Daniel Alcides Carrión, based in Cerro de Pasco.

-National University Faustino Sánchez Carrión, based in Huacho.

References

1. Various authors “El Amauta Javier Pulgar Vidal” (2015) at Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú. Retrieved on October 6, 2018 from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú: pucp.edu.pe
2. Various authors, "Javier Pulgar Vidal" (2009) in Ecured. Retrieved on October 6, 2018 from Ecured: ecured.cu
3. Tamariz, D. "Javier Pulgar Vidal: A wise man in the memory" (2017) by El Peruano. Retrieved on October 6, 2018 from El Peruano: elperuano.pe
4. Various authors "Javier Pulgar Vidal" (2018) in Ser Peruano. Retrieved on October 6, 2018 from Ser Peruano: serperuano.com
5. "Javier Pulgar Vidal" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 6, 2018 from Wikipedia: Wikipedia.org