José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez

Who was José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez?

José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez was a Mexican priest, scientist, historian, cartographer, and journalist. He was born in Ozumba in 1737. He studied in the Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City, graduating as a bachelor in theology in 1756. A priest from the age of 20, he was also a corresponding member of the French and Spanish academies of science, and one of the earliest trustworthy observers of Mexican meteorology. He attained a high reputation as a zoologist and botanist, and his researches led the way for modern exploration of Mexican antiquities. He published the Gaceta de Literatura, and an essay titled La limite des niéges perpetuelles en Volcan Popocatepetl.

The natural sciences, physics, astronomy and mathematics were for him subjects that deserved great attention. He conducted several scientific experiments, and wrote numerous articles that were published in science journals.

Inaugurated in 1768, his Diario literario de Méjico [Literary Newspaper of Mexico] was suspended after only three months. He later created, in 1788, the Gaceta de Literatura [Newspaper of Literature], that was published until 1795.