| Revista: | Investigaciones geográficas - Instituto de Geografía. UNAM |
| Base de datos: | |
| Número de sistema: | 000604027 |
| ISSN: | 0188-4611 |
| Autores: | Moncada Maya, José Omar1 |
| Instituciones: | 1Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geografía, Ciudad de México. México |
| Año: | 2024 |
| Número: | 114 |
| País: | México |
| Idioma: | Español |
| Tipo de documento: | Artículo |
| Resumen en español | está disponible en el texto completo |
| Resumen en inglés | In a recent article, the characters that made up what we have called the "First Generation" of geographic engineers were described. It highlighted the important role they played in teaching, in scientific activities and in their work as public officials in governments of different political tendencies during the second half of the 19th century. These three characters had a great recognition by the scientific community and, perhaps, they excelled so much that the two generations that followed them have not had the recognition they deserve, since they also excelled in teaching, in academic work and in occupying prominent public positions. Therefore, in this new article we intend to present these two groups of geographic engineers, already trained at the National School of Engineers. These new generations were already products of the Porfiriato -which perhaps also influences the little recognition given to them by identifying them with the period in which they worked-, since almost 25 years had to pass after the individuals of the first generation obtained their degrees, and the last four are already products of the twentieth century. As teachers, they worked in the most prestigious academic institutions of the time, both during the Porfiriato and the post-revolutionary period, including the National School of Engineers, the Military College, the National School of Agriculture, the School of Engineers of Jalisco, the National Preparatory School, the National School of Teachers and the National University of Mexico. And in some cases, they became directors of some of these institutions, such as the School of Engineers, the School of Agriculture and the National Preparatory School. It is worth mentioning that V. Gama was the interim rector of the Universidad Nacional de México and A. Aragón was the first rector of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo. A possible explanation for the success of these characters may be the recognition given to geographic engineers as astronomers. In fact, several of them stood out for their performance in the astronomical observatories created by the Mexican government, some of them becoming directors of the National Astronomical Observatory and the Central Observatory. Although this also contributed to their recognition as astronomers, forgetting that their academic training was in geographic engineering. They also successfully carried out several scientific commissions linked to the Secretary of Development, highlighting those related to the delimitation of the country -with the establishment of stable borders with both the United States and Guatemala-. They also collaborated in commissions related to territorial studies, such as the Geographic-Exploration Commission, the Mexican Geodesic Commission, the Directorate of Geographic and Climatological Studies and the Land Registry Board. Their performance as public officials was very diverse. Obviously, their performance as Secretaries of State, occupying the portfolios of the Ministries of Development, Communications and Public Works, and Agriculture and Development, as well as Undersecretaries or senior officials, stands out. In Mexico City, several of them participated as aldermen of the City Council; some others directed the Directorate of the Cadastre of Mexico City, the Office of Weights and Measures, under the Ministry of Development and the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities of Jalisco. L. Fernández was governor of the state of Durango, while A. Díaz Rugama and A. Aragón were deputies. It is also noteworthy that P. C. Sánchez was director for more than two decades of the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History. Finally, they participated in the most important scientific societies of the second half of the nineteenth century in Mexico, where they held the most important executive positions, among them the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, the 'Antonio Alzate' Scientific Society, the Mexican Society of Natural History, the Humboldt Society, the Association of Engineers and Architects of Mexico, the Mexican Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, the Mexican Geological Society and the Mexican Astronomical Society. Special mention should be made of A. Aragón, who was a full member of the Mexican Academy of Language. In addition, several of them joined foreign scientific societies in the United States, England, France, Germany and Spain, among other countries. As can be seen, this small group of men of science developed a wide activity and obtained the social and academic recognition of their time. And yet, we continue to maintain the idea that at present they are very little recognized characters in the social and scientific history of our country. |
| Disciplinas: | Historia, Geografía |
| Palabras clave: | Escuela Nacional de Ingenieros, Profesionalización de la geografía, Secretaría de Fomento, Sociedades científicas, Historia de la ciencia, Geografía humana |
| Keyword: | Escuela Nacional de Ingenieros, Professionalization of geography, Secretaría de Fomento, Scientific societies, History of science, Human geography |
| Texto completo: | Texto completo (Ver PDF) Texto completo (Ver HTML) |
