Diego Rodríguez (mathematician) facts for kids

Diego Rodríguez (born around 1596 in Atitalaquia, Mexico, died in 1668 in Mexico City) was a very important scientist in New Spain (which is now Mexico). He was a skilled mathematician, astronomer, teacher, and inventor. He helped bring new ideas and technology to the colony in the 1600s.

Early Life and Studies

In 1613, Diego Rodríguez joined a religious group called the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. This was an important step in his life and studies.

New Scientific Ideas

For about 30 years, Father Rodríguez taught and wrote about science in a new way. He believed that science should be studied separately from religious ideas.

He was interested in the idea that the Earth goes around the Sun. This was a new and bold theory from Nicolaus Copernicus. Rodríguez wrote about the discoveries of Galileo Galilei, too. He did not openly support these ideas or argue against older beliefs. But, these were still very advanced steps for his time.

The group of scientists he led in Mexico accepted these new ideas much earlier than scientists in Spain. This was partly because new science books from Protestant countries were often not allowed into Spain. Booksellers sometimes sent these books to America instead. Because of his work with these new ideas, Rodríguez was watched by the Mexican Inquisition.

Rodríguez was part of a small group of thinkers who met secretly to talk about new scientific ideas. In the 1640s, the Inquisition started to notice them. There were investigations and trials that lasted until the mid-1650s. In 1647, the Inquisition made a rule to carefully check all scientific books. By 1655, all booksellers in Mexico City had to show their book lists to the Inquisition for approval.

One of Rodríguez's friends, Melchor Pérez de Soto, was also investigated by the Inquisition. He was a main architect at the cathedral. Thanks to this investigation, we know about his large library, which had over 1,660 books. Many of these books were about the new science from Europe.

Amazing Works and Discoveries

Rodríguez wrote many important works. Some of his ideas were truly groundbreaking for mathematics. For example, he wrote about logarithms, which are special math tools. He also wrote about astronomy and engineering.

He created guides on how to build precise clocks. Many of his writings were for his university classes. Others were for his own research. One important work was about predicting and measuring eclipses. This was key for figuring out exact geographic locations, like longitude. Eclipses help you match the time with other places.

His work on eclipses and better clocks helped him measure the longitude of Mexico City very accurately. He was even more precise than Alexander von Humboldt, who came a century and a half later! Rodríguez's student from Peru, Francisco Ruiz Lozano, used the same method to measure the location of his hometown, Lima, Peru.

Why His Work Was Not Widely Known

It is surprising that Rodríguez's many valuable contributions did not have a bigger impact. Spanish sailors, for example, could have greatly benefited from his methods for finding locations.

Most of his writings were never published. They stayed as handwritten papers. It was hard to print them in New Spain. This was not only because of high costs. It was also because special symbols for math were not available. There was also not a big market for published scientific works.

Some of his papers were sent to Spain, but they were ignored there too. When he died in 1668, most of his papers were kept in his order's library. The rest were scattered or lost forever.

Rodríguez's students who took over his teaching position did not stay long. It was not until Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora took the position in 1672 that the scientific work continued strongly.

See also

In Spanish: Diego Rodríguez (matemático) para niños