Tomás de Suría facts for kids

Tomás de Suría (born May 1761, died 1835) was a Spanish artist and explorer. He joined a big trip called the Malaspina Expedition. This journey explored the west coast of North America from 1789 to 1795.

Early Life of Tomás de Suría

Tomás de Suría was born in Madrid, Spain, in May 1761. He studied art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. When he was seventeen, he moved to New Spain (which is now Mexico) with his teacher.

In 1788, he got married and lived in Mexico City. He worked there as an engraver, making designs on metal, at the royal mint. He also helped start the Academy of San Carlos, an art school.

Even though his wife really didn't want him to go, Suría decided to join the Malaspina Expedition. He made sure his job, pay, and housing would be safe when he returned. Suría joined the ship Descubierta on March 27, 1791. He was 30 years old at the time.

The Malaspina Expedition Journey

The Malaspina Expedition had many interesting people. There was a chief scientist named Antonio Piñeda. Also, a botanist named Luis Née from France and a naturalist named Thaddäus Haenke from Prague joined the trip. Haenke was very smart and could speak many languages. He was also a musician, doctor, and chemist.

Two astronomers, Ciriaco Zevallos and José Espinosa y Tello, were also on board. Today, a town on Vancouver Island called Zeballos and a nearby place called Espinoza Inlet are named after them.

Another artist on the trip was José Cardero. He started as a cabin boy from Spain. The expedition leader, Alessandro Malaspina, had hired other artists before. But they either left or were not very good at drawing. So, Malaspina took Tomás de Suría, who was an engraver from Mexico, as a temporary artist.

Suría's Secret Diary

Tomás de Suría kept a private diary during the journey. This was the only personal diary from the whole trip! Suría was not allowed to see the official reports. But his diary gives us a real and honest look at what happened. It's different from Malaspina's official story.

Suría wrote about his first day at a place called Nootka. He said the local people asked for shells and used words like "pachitle conchi." They also said "Hispania Nutka," which meant "Spain Nootka," and words about friendship. Suría was surprised they knew Latin words like "Hispania." He thought they might have learned them from trading with Englishmen.

Difficult Times at Nootka Sound

At Nootka Sound, Suría wrote about a sad practice. Spanish sailors sometimes traded guns for children. These children were held by a leader named Maquinna. The Spanish said they wanted to baptize the children and save them from a very harsh custom.

Suría wrote about a boy the sailors called Primo. Primo told them he was meant to be a victim and eaten by Chief Macuina. This custom happened with young prisoners of war. It was also part of ceremonies.

Suría also described Spanish soldiers arriving in a longboat. These soldiers came on a ship called Concepción from San Blas, Nayarit. Their leader was Don Pedro de Alberni. The town Port Alberni is named after him. Alberni later became a temporary governor in California before he passed away in 1803.

Later Life and Legacy

After the expedition returned to Acapulco from Alaska and British Columbia, Suría had eight more months to finish his drawings. These drawings were then sent to Spain. Malaspina liked Suría's work, but Suría didn't get many special rewards.

He went back to his old job as an engraver. In 1798, he became the chief engraver and held that job until 1806. In his later years, he created some religious art. Tomás de Suría passed away in 1835 in Mexico City.

Most of his original drawings for the Malaspina Expedition are kept in the Museo Naval in Spain. Suría's original diary is at Yale University Library. An English version of his diary was made in 1936 by Henry Raup Wagner. Later, this English version was translated back into Spanish for a book in 1939.

See also

In Spanish: Tomás de Suria para niños

• European and American voyages of scientific exploration