PEDRO PERALTA Y BARNUEVO: BIOGRAPHY, WORKS AND CHARACTERISTICS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Pedro Peralta y Barnuevo (1663-1743) was an intellectual of Peruvian origin who stood out during the colonial era. He was relevant for his knowledge in various areas since he worked as a writer, lawyer, mathematician and even as an astronomer.

He was one of the most important literary authors of his time. Many people came to refer to him as a walking encyclopedia and as a man prodigious for his memory and wisdom.

Source: Cristóbal de Aguilar, via Wikimedia Commons.

Biography

Family

Pedro de Peralta Barnuevo Rocha y Benavides was born on November 26, 1663 in Lima, Peru. He was the eldest of the children of the couple formed by Francisco de Peralta Barnuevo and Magdalena Rocha, who had four more children. Among them also stood out José Peralta y Barnuevo, who was bishop in Argentina during the viceroyalty of Peru by the Spanish crown.

Pedro Peralta was godfather to two of his brothers. At the age of 12, he first appears on the baptism certificate of his brother Bernardo Antonio in 1675. Then, a year later, he repeats the role with his sister Magdalena Gertrudis.

Pedro Peralta's father was of Spanish origin and worked as an accountant. When his father died, he inherited the position he held in the Court of Accounts. His mother was originally from Lima, who died in 1692.

Juana Fernández became his wife in 1698, although no descendants of the couple are known. It has been said that she had a daughter out of wedlock, but there is no more information about her life, nor the name.

Studies

Pedro Peralta entered the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1680, the oldest institution in Peru and in the whole of America, founded in 1551. He did so to study art and Roman law. When he finished his studies in 1686 he began to work as an accountant and lawyer.

Thanks to his knowledge and the economic position of his family, he was able to relate to all kinds of people of the time. He was appointed professor of mathematics because the Viceroy of Peru, Manuel de Santa Pau, knew about Peralta's work.

Scientific contributions

At the beginning of the 18th century his work leaned more towards the area of ​​science. He held the position of cosmographer during the viceroyalty in Peru and his most important contribution occurred when he managed to establish the geographic coordinates of several cities.

Until the end of his life he regularly published weather forecasts, astronomy data, and religious information.

On the medical side, he showed great concern for matters related to public health. One of his manuscripts, Treatise on the Origin of Monsters, published in 1695, delved into the births of people with physical anomalies.

Peralta even became part of the Academy of Sciences in France and Spain. His impact on the scientific area was so important that he was consulted by the King of Spain to comment on different issues.

Thanks to his work and his extensive knowledge, he was elected and reelected as rector of the University of San Marcos between the years 1715 and 1718.

Social life

Peralta y Barnuevo was very active in the social gatherings of the time. His presence was required for his role as an important university figure, but also for his contributions in organizing the meetings.

Many times Peralta was in charge of creating dramatic compositions to liven up the events that took place. He became one of the organizers of the Palace Academies, some gatherings in which the most relevant intellectuals of Peru participated at the beginning of the 18th century and which was born by an idea of ​​Viceroy Manuel de Oms.

Nickname

The writer and historian Luis Alberto Sánchez gave Peralta the nickname of 'Doctor Océano' in his work La Literatura del Virreinato, a manuscript that was published in 1939. Sánchez explained that the pseudonym was a way of referring to Peralta's vast knowledge, regarded as a scholar.

Death

Peralta died in his hometown, Lima, on April 30, 1743. He left a power of attorney days before to two of his closest friends to dispose of his property. He died aged 80 from a urinary infection and stones.

Among the requests he made before he died was to be buried in a church and, if possible, in the Santo Domingo Convent, as well as that his clothes be distributed to those most in need.

When he died, three of his works remained unpublished. One was about music, another had to do with astrology, and the third was about grammar.

A couple of months after his death, information was collected on the possessions that Peralta left after his death. The almost 200 books that were in his library (in French, Italian and Latin), some maps and furniture stand out. He did not leave important goods or money to distribute.

Characteristics of his works

Most of his literary work was conceived by requests he received to address specific topics. Personal interests did not prevail in his creative process.

During the last years of his life he had problems with the church because of how he raised some aspects of religion in his manuscripts. Thanks to old age, he was able to free himself from suffering a sentence.

His works are a reflection between the change from the baroque style to neoclassicism. He showed certain characteristics of the gongoristas, although one of his most important influences was the Spanish Pedro Calderón de la Barca.

His prose used to be loaded with many ornamental elements, a factor that forced him on several occasions to have to explain his ideas. Mystical elements were also very present in his writings.

The verse was the author's favorite literary device to create his poetry. He was the author of treatises, epics, plays, and satires.

Plays

As a playwright he was considered the author of more than 10 works in which several of the characteristics of European literature were evidenced. He stood out with Triumphs of love and power and Rodoguna, both titles published during the second decade of the 18th century.

The first publication attributed to him was Funeral Apollo. It was a poem that appeared in 1687 and that dealt with the earthquake that occurred in Lima that same year.

It is said that he was the creator of 45 different writings, although among his most important works are Deviation of the nature or origin of the monsters, History of vindicated Spain, founded Lima, The Olympic Jupiter and Impregnable Lima.

References

1. de Peralta and Barnuevo, P. (2014). The Gallant Mercury (1st ed.). Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library Foundation.
2. Eguiguren, L. (1966). Impregnable lime. Lima: Ed. Liurimsa.
3. Peralta Barnuevo, P., & Williams, J. (1996). Peralta Barnuevo and the discourse of loyalty. Tempe: ASU Center for Latin American Studies Press, Arizona State University.
4. Sánchez, L. (1967). Doctor Ocean. National University of San Marcos.
5. Sánchez, L., García Salvattecci, H., & Polo Miranda, M. (1988). The life of the century. Caracas: Ayacucho Library Foundation.