Antonio Pineda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antonio Pineda
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| Born | January 17, 1751 Guatemala City, New Spain.
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| Died | June 23, 1792 (aged 41) |
Antonio Pineda (born January 17, 1751 – died June 23, 1792) was a Spanish naturalist and a military officer. A naturalist is someone who studies nature, like plants and animals. He was a key part of a very important scientific journey called the Malaspina Expedition. On this trip, he led a team that studied natural history. They explored and collected many things from places all around the Pacific Ocean. This included the coasts of South America, Mexico, and the Philippines. Antonio Pineda gathered many scientific reports, diaries, and natural history specimens before he passed away.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Antonio Pineda was born on January 17, 1751, in Guatemala City, which was then part of New Spain. His father, José de Pineda, was a Spanish knight and a judge. His mother, María Josefa Ramírez, was from Spain. When Antonio was six years old, his family moved back to Spain.
Antonio first went to school at the "Colegio de Nobles" in Madrid. When he was seventeen, he joined the Spanish Military Academy. He became a cadet in the important Spanish Royal Guard. Besides his military training, Pineda also studied natural history. He also learned several languages.
Military Service and Scientific Interests
In 1778, Pineda became a Second Lieutenant. He fought in Gibraltar against the British in 1780 and again in 1782. He also served in the Americas on a ship called La Pastora. When he returned to Spain, Pineda was promoted to first lieutenant.
Afterward, Pineda left the military to follow his passion for science. He was very interested in botany (the study of plants), zoology (the study of animals), and other physical sciences. He traveled widely to study nature in different places. He also worked with famous Spanish scientists, like the botanist Casimiro Gomez Ortega. Pineda's scientific skills were recognized by scholars across Europe. The Spanish royal court even asked him to write a book about physics, chemistry, and minerals.
The Malaspina Expedition
In 1788, the Spanish government planned a big scientific journey. This journey was meant to explore Spain's lands overseas. The Malaspina Expedition was named after Alejandro Malaspina, who came up with the idea and led the trip. Pineda was chosen to lead a team of naturalists. This team included Thaddäus Haenke and Luis Née.
Before they sailed, Pineda gathered all the scientific tools, instruments, and books they would need. After months of preparation, the expedition set sail from Cadiz on July 30, 1789. They had two ships. Pineda was on the main ship, the Descubierta, with Malaspina. Née was on the Atrevida. Haenke joined them later.
Exploring South America
Their first stop was Montevideo. Then, they sailed around South America. They stopped in places like Patagonia, Chile, Peru, Panama, and Nicaragua. At each stop, Pineda and his team spent days or weeks collecting natural history specimens. Née and Haenke mainly focused on plants. Pineda often spent his time catching or trapping animals.
Once, Née and Pineda even tested a local plant species on themselves. This was to see its effects, but it made them feel very unwell.
Journey to Mexico and Asia
The expedition reached Acapulco, Mexico, on March 27, 1791. Pineda and Née stayed there for a long time to study and collect specimens in Mexico's inland areas. Meanwhile, the main expedition continued along the coast of North America to Alaska. Over the next six months, Pineda and Née collected almost 3,000 plants. They also found many other specimens while traveling over 1,500 miles across Mexico.
Malaspina returned to Acapulco in December 1791 to pick them up. Then, they sailed west across the Pacific Ocean towards Asia. Six weeks later, they made a short stop at Guam. Pineda and his team explored the island and added more items to their collections. Pineda's notes from Guam were later published in a book.
Final Journey to the Philippines
They finally arrived in Manila, Philippines, on March 10, 1792. The naturalists decided to explore different parts of the region separately. Pineda first traveled with another Spanish botanist, Juan de Cuellar. Later, Pineda explored the northern part of Luzon island by himself.
It was a very difficult journey. On his way back, Pineda became very ill from not eating enough and being very tired. He was carried in a hammock to Badoc, where a priest looked after him. Pineda's health continued to get worse. Three days later, on June 23, 1792, he passed away.
Legacy and Memorial
Antonio Pineda's death was a sad moment for everyone on the expedition. An artist on the team designed a large memorial for him. This memorial was later put up at the botanic gardens in Malate. The words on the monument honored Pineda as a brave officer and a tireless student of nature. It mentioned his long journeys and how he explored the earth, sea, and mountains. The monument showed how much his country, nature, and his friends missed him.
The flowering plant genus Pineda (which is part of the Salicaceae family) is named in his honor.
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Pineda para niños
