Juan de Cuéllar
Encyclopedia
Juan José Ruperto de Cuéllar y Villanueba (ca. 1739, probably Real Sitio de Aranjuez
, Spain
– 1801, Iloco, Philippines
) was a Spanish pharmacologist
and botanist
. From 1786 to 1797 he was the leader of a royal botanical expedition to the Philippines
.
In December 1760 he bought a pharmacy on Atocha Street in Madrid, and entered the Royal College of Pharmacists. After completing the course, he continued his association with the College in various important capacities — first secretary, general solicitor, fiscal, and second secretary, at different times. Around 1781 he was forced to give up his pharmacy for financial reasons.
In 1783 and 1784 he attended classes at the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
, in a program to impart scientific knowledge to pharmacists. In a letter dated December 17, 1784, Cuéllar wrote to Cristóbal Nieto de Piña, vice president of the Royal Medical Society of Seville, that he was compiling a herbarium
based on the system of Carolus Linnaeus
and asking for Nieto's recommendation to fill the vacant position of botanist in Seville. The Royal Medical Society of Seville gave him the appointment on May 2, 1785, but he was unable to accept immediately because he had also been named royal commissioner in Cádiz
.
, a Frenchman who had served as second botanist on the Ruiz and Pavón expedition. Cuéllar was to catalogue and sort the material and prepare it for transfer to the Casa de Contratación
. Dombey, however, wanted to transship the specimens to France rather than opening the boxes in Spain. This conflict was resolved, however, and on August 17, 1785 the specimens were delivered to the Casa de Contratación. It may be because of this work that Ruiz and Pavón named the genus Cuellaria for him.
On March 10, 1785, King Charles III
signed a royal order establishing the Real Compañía de Filipinas (Royal Philippine Company). This was a political-mercantile society intended to turn the Philippines into a hub of trade between Asia and America. (That would have meant the end of the monopoly of the Manila galleon
, and was opposed by many Spaniards in the Philippines.) The Company was also intended to investigate and exploit the natural resources of the Philippines themselves.
The Company asked the minister of the Indies, José de Gálvez
to name a botanist to investigate the flora of the islands. Gálvez turned over the task to Casimiro Gómez Ortega, head of the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid. Gómez named Cuéllar.Cuellar is very very wise,too.
At the beginning of January 1786 Cuéllar sailed on the Águila Imperial for Manila by way of the Cape of Good Hope. He was accompanied by his second wife, María Borbón. On August 9, 1786, after eight months at sea, the ship arrived at Cavite
, in the Philippines.
On-going conflicts forced him to limit his initial explorations to the area around Manila. At first he concentrated on the cultivars in which the Compañía took special interest: indigo, black pepper, cotton, mulberries, coffee and cacao. In March and April he went a little farther afield, to Batán
.
From his arrival, Cuéllar began collecting scientific materials to send back to Spain. The first specimens sent back were natural products of the Philippines, including seashells, seeds, resins, woods, drawings, minerals, and some living plants. These date from the beginning of 1787. Cuéllar assiduously continued the shipments until 1797, overcoming some difficulties to do so.
A royal order dated in January 1788 directed him to promote the cultivation of cinnamon and nutmeg, in a last attempt to break the Dutch commercial monopoly on these spices. However the varieties he was able to study were not suitable.
On March 24, 1792, the corvettes Descubierta and Atrevida
of the scientific expedition of Alejandro Malaspina arrived in Cavite. Cuéllar met with the expedition, and showed its botanist, Antonio Pineda some of the plantations around Manila. The expedition sailed from Manila on November 15, 1792.
and José Antonio Pavón to Peru and Chile (1777-88); José Celestino Mutis
to New Granada
(1783-1808); Cuéllar to the Philippines (1786-97); and Martín Sessé y Lacasta
to New Spain
(1787-1803).Cuellar had done a great part for many people.
Aranjuez
Aranjuez is a town lying 48 km south of Madrid, in the southern part of the Community of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers, 48 km from Toledo. As of 2009, it has a population of 54,055.-History:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
– 1801, Iloco, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
) was a Spanish pharmacologist
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
and botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. From 1786 to 1797 he was the leader of a royal botanical expedition to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Early life
According to his biographer María Belén Bañas Llanos, Juan de Cuéllar was born in Aranjuez into a family employed in the care of plants in the royal gardens. His parents also ran a pharmacy. His father died when he was young, and his mother remarried, to a man the king had named regent of the pharmacy. When his mother also died (in 1760), he sold the olive groves that constituted his inheritance and moved to Madrid.In December 1760 he bought a pharmacy on Atocha Street in Madrid, and entered the Royal College of Pharmacists. After completing the course, he continued his association with the College in various important capacities — first secretary, general solicitor, fiscal, and second secretary, at different times. Around 1781 he was forced to give up his pharmacy for financial reasons.
In 1783 and 1784 he attended classes at the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
The is an botanical garden located at , next to the Prado Museum in Madrid ....
, in a program to impart scientific knowledge to pharmacists. In a letter dated December 17, 1784, Cuéllar wrote to Cristóbal Nieto de Piña, vice president of the Royal Medical Society of Seville, that he was compiling a herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
based on the system of Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
and asking for Nieto's recommendation to fill the vacant position of botanist in Seville. The Royal Medical Society of Seville gave him the appointment on May 2, 1785, but he was unable to accept immediately because he had also been named royal commissioner in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
Work on Ruiz and Pavón specimens
The El Peruano had arrived in Cádiz on February 21, 1785, carrying part of the scientific material sent back from Peru and Chile by the royal expedition under Hipólito Ruiz and José Antonio Pavón. Also arriving on the El Peruano was Joseph DombeyJoseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey was a French botanist. He was involved in the “Dombey affair” which was precipitated by British seizure of a vessel his collections were on and diversion of the collections to the British Museum.-Biography:He ran away from home and acquired a thorough knowledge of botany in...
, a Frenchman who had served as second botanist on the Ruiz and Pavón expedition. Cuéllar was to catalogue and sort the material and prepare it for transfer to the Casa de Contratación
Casa de Contratación
La Casa de Contratación was a government agency under the Spanish Empire, existing from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which attempted to control all Spanish exploration and colonization...
. Dombey, however, wanted to transship the specimens to France rather than opening the boxes in Spain. This conflict was resolved, however, and on August 17, 1785 the specimens were delivered to the Casa de Contratación. It may be because of this work that Ruiz and Pavón named the genus Cuellaria for him.
On March 10, 1785, King Charles III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
signed a royal order establishing the Real Compañía de Filipinas (Royal Philippine Company). This was a political-mercantile society intended to turn the Philippines into a hub of trade between Asia and America. (That would have meant the end of the monopoly of the Manila galleon
Manila Galleon
The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines, and Acapulco, New Spain . The name changed reflecting the city that the ship was sailing from...
, and was opposed by many Spaniards in the Philippines.) The Company was also intended to investigate and exploit the natural resources of the Philippines themselves.
The Company asked the minister of the Indies, José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
to name a botanist to investigate the flora of the islands. Gálvez turned over the task to Casimiro Gómez Ortega, head of the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid. Gómez named Cuéllar.Cuellar is very very wise,too.
Expedition to the Philippines
Cuéllar left the botanist position in Seville to take up the position in the Philippines. This was a scientific expedition at the same level as that of Ruiz and Pavón, and Cuéllar asked the king to give him the title of botánico real (royal botanist). This the king did, more or less, naming him botánico real sin sueldo (royal botanist without pay).At the beginning of January 1786 Cuéllar sailed on the Águila Imperial for Manila by way of the Cape of Good Hope. He was accompanied by his second wife, María Borbón. On August 9, 1786, after eight months at sea, the ship arrived at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
, in the Philippines.
On-going conflicts forced him to limit his initial explorations to the area around Manila. At first he concentrated on the cultivars in which the Compañía took special interest: indigo, black pepper, cotton, mulberries, coffee and cacao. In March and April he went a little farther afield, to Batán
Batan
Batan may refer to the following places:* Batan, Aklan, a municipality in the Philippines* Batan Island, the main island of the province of Batanes, the Philippines* Batan Island, Albay, in Rapu-rapu, Albay, the Philippines...
.
From his arrival, Cuéllar began collecting scientific materials to send back to Spain. The first specimens sent back were natural products of the Philippines, including seashells, seeds, resins, woods, drawings, minerals, and some living plants. These date from the beginning of 1787. Cuéllar assiduously continued the shipments until 1797, overcoming some difficulties to do so.
A royal order dated in January 1788 directed him to promote the cultivation of cinnamon and nutmeg, in a last attempt to break the Dutch commercial monopoly on these spices. However the varieties he was able to study were not suitable.
On March 24, 1792, the corvettes Descubierta and Atrevida
Descubierta and Atrevida
The Descubierta and Atrevida were twin corvettes of the Spanish Navy, custom-designed as identical special exploration and scientific research vessels . Both ships were built at the same time for the Malaspina Expedition...
of the scientific expedition of Alejandro Malaspina arrived in Cavite. Cuéllar met with the expedition, and showed its botanist, Antonio Pineda some of the plantations around Manila. The expedition sailed from Manila on November 15, 1792.
Other expeditions
The four expeditions authorized by King Carlos III to the Spanish colonies were those of Hipólito Ruiz LópezHipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López , or Hipólito Ruiz, was a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788...
and José Antonio Pavón to Peru and Chile (1777-88); José Celestino Mutis
José Celestino Mutis
-External links:*** at The Catholic Encyclopedia official site...
to New Granada
New Kingdom of Granada
The New Kingdom of Granada was the name given to a group of 16th century Spanish colonial provinces in northern South America governed by the president of the Audiencia of Bogotá, an area corresponding mainly to modern day Colombia and parts of Venezuela. Originally part of the Viceroyalty of...
(1783-1808); Cuéllar to the Philippines (1786-97); and Martín Sessé y Lacasta
Martín Sessé y Lacasta
Martín Sessé y Lacasta was a Spanish botanist, who relocated to New Spain during the 18th century to study and classify the flora of the territory.-Background:...
to New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
(1787-1803).Cuellar had done a great part for many people.