82:, but without directly endorsing them or attacking the classical cosmology. Nevertheless, these were radical steps, and the scientific community he headed in Mexico accepted them about 30 years before their colleagues in Spain. One reason for this surprising difference is that the books of modern science originating in Protestant countries were refused entry into Spain by the censors. Booksellers, in order not to lose their investments, often sent the contraband books on to America. Because of this aspect of Rodriguez's work, he was a target of
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remaining in manuscript. In New Spain it was difficult to print them, not only because of high costs but also because special type faces were unavailable, for example, for mathematical symbols. And there was no market for the published works. For that reason some of his manuscripts were sent to Spain, but there was no greater interest there and they were ignored. At his death in 1668, most of his manuscripts were buried in the library of his order; the rest were dispersed in private collections or were irretrievably lost.
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his own courses in the university; others were written to support his own investigations. In the latter category is the report on the prediction and exact measurement of eclipses, which is fundamental for calculation of exact geographic positions (longitude), because the eclipse permits synchronization of the time with that in other geographic localities. This and his work on the improvement of clocks allowed him to measure the longitude of Mexico City with a precision greater than
93:. A series of investigations and trials followed, continuing into the mid-1650s. A frantic hiding of books followed the Inquisition's 1647 edict imposing careful censorship on scientific works. In July 1655 the Inquisition required all Mexico City's booksellers (six) to submit their book lists to the Holy Office for approval, on pain of fine and excommunication.
99:, one of the group of scientific modernizers headed by Diego Rodríguez and chief architect at the cathedral, was subjected to the Inquisition. Thanks to this process, a catalog of his library, more than 1,660 volumes, has come down to us. Many of the works dealt with the modern science of contemporary Europe; many others had more traditional content.
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It is strange that the many valuable contributions of Rodríguez and his students did not make a bigger impact on the history of the colony. His methods of calculating positions were not used by
Spanish navigators, who could have benefited greatly from them. Most of his writings were never published,
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BBC Rodríguez wrote many works, some of them truly revolutionary contributions to mathematics (like his treatise on logarithms), astronomy and engineering. He also wrote treatises on technology, such as the one dealing with the construction of precise clocks. Many of these works were developed for
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Rodríguez was at the center of a small circle of intellectuals that met semiclandestinely in private homes to discuss the new ideas. The 1640s, however, brought them to the attention of the
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For thirty years Father Rodríguez maintained in his writing and teaching the separation of the exact sciences from metaphysics and theology. He tried to propound the heliocentric theory of
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This article is a free translation of the article at the
Spanish Knowledge, accessed on July 13, 2007, with a little additional information.
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Rodríguez's successors in the chair of astronomy and mathematics occupied the position only briefly, and are of little interest, up until
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50:. He was one of the most important figures in the scientific field in the colony in the second half of the seventeenth century.
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was able to make a century and a half later, even with improved methods. Rodríguez's
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158:"Un Científico Mexicano del Siglo XVII: Fray Diego Rodríguez y su Obra"
185:"Descubrimientos Científicos y Tecnológicos de los siglos XV – XVII"
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Academic staff of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
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tradition. He wrote on the astronomical findings of
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16:For other people named Diego Rodríguez, see
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60:Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy
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163:. El Colegio de México. Archived from
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187:(in Spanish). Html.rincondelvago.com
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46:, and technological innovator in
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18:Diego Rodríguez (disambiguation)
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138:Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora
239:A Concise History of Mexico
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205:Hamnett, Brian R. (1999).
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209:Concise History of Mexico
58:In 1613 he entered the
272:Mexican mathematicians
110:Alexander von Humboldt
114:Francisco Ruiz Lozano
97:Melchor Pérez de Soto
66:Scientific revolution
34:– 1668) was a
277:Mexican astronomers
84:Mexican Inquisition
72:Nicolaus Copernicus
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256:Categories
191:2012-06-05
144:References
128:Evaluation
76:scholastic
54:Background
40:astronomer
48:New Spain
44:educator
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215:63–95
168:(PDF)
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103:Works
219:ISBN
122:Peru
118:Lima
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