Juan Ramón Koenig facts for kids
Juan Ramón Koenig (born in Mechelen in 1623 – died in Lima, Peru on July 19, 1709) was an important Peruvian scientist.
Biography
Juan Ramón Koenig was a priest who came to Peru in 1655. He traveled with the viceroy, who was like a governor representing the king. The viceroy, the Count of Alba de Aliste, made Koenig the chaplain of the Espiritu Santo hospital.
Koenig taught many subjects at the San Marcos college. He was especially good at cosmography, which is the study of the universe and how to map it.
In 1672, the king ordered Koenig to travel all over Peru. His job was to measure the exact locations (latitude and longitude) of different places. To do this, he had to build his own special tools because they weren't available in Peru.
Later, in 1677, he became a professor of mathematics. He was also named the royal cosmographer. This meant he was the official scientist for the king, in charge of mapping and understanding the land.
In 1681, Koenig created a map of Peru by engraving it onto a silver plate. A famous French geographer named Louis Feuillet thought it was an amazing map!
When the viceroy, the Duke of La Palata, decided to build walls around the city of Lima in 1682, Koenig helped a lot. He worked with General Venegas Osorio to design the plans for the city's defenses and oversaw their construction.
Works
Koenig wrote a book called Problema de la duplicación del Cubo in 1678. From 1680 to 1708, he also published daily weather reports in Lima. These reports were called Conocimiento de los tiempos, which means "Knowledge of the Times."
In his later years, Koenig gathered a lot of information for a geography book about Peru. Sadly, after he passed away, a friend burned almost all his papers. This was done to keep his private notes from becoming public. Because of this, his important geography book was lost forever.
See also
In Spanish: Juan Ramón Koenig para niños
