Hernando de los Ríos Coronel

Hernando de los Ríos Coronel (1559[1]–1621?[2]) was a mathematician, cosmographer, cartographer, navigator, naval pilot, administrator, soldier, priest, and advocate (Procurator General) at the Spanish court of the inhabitants of the Philippines from 1606 to 1610 and again from 1618 until his death.[3][4]

Having attained the rank of military captain, he accompanied governor Luis Pérez Dasmariñas on his expedition to Luzon and Cambodia and spent time in China in 1597. There he prepared the first map of Luzon, Taiwan (also known as Formosa or Isla Hermosa) and certain areas of the Chinese coast.[5]

As navigator

De los Ríos Coronel combined his expertise as navigator with those of an experimenter[5][6] which was a common practice at the time. He had received renewed impulse with the founding of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences in Madrid. His scientific developments aimed to update instruments and tables for navigation based on astronomical observation, combined with an attempt to determine the geographical longitude at sea.[7]

Two examples where he combined his expertise as a navigator with those of an experimenter, are of the development of a process of enabling the extraction of sweetwater from seawater while at sea, for which he requested a license[5] and testing a new type of sea compass invented by Fonseca.[3]

Also, as a navigator de los Ríos advocated reform of the inequality in treatment of the Asian crewmembers of the transpacific voyages that he sailed on. He recommended providing them with adequate food, clothing and protection against the elements. The harsh working conditions of Asian mariners, coupled with the long and perilous journey, made many of them decide to stay on in the Americas, thus forming part of a wider migration of Asians to the Americas and New Spain.[4]

Some of de los Rios Coronel's first hand accounts saw Asians, particularly Filipinos treated "like dogs", they had no proper clothing for the cold weather and some froze to death, mentioning "each new dawn comes there are three or four dead men".[4]

As cosmographer and mapmaker

Originally cosmography had the meaning of protoscience of mapping the general features of the cosmos, heaven and Earth, thus a cosmographer combined map making (i.e. cartographer) with scientific experiments aimed to update instruments and tables for a wide range of applications.[7] In de los Rios Coronel's case this had mainly to do with navigation based on astronomical observation and mathematics, specifically with the Philippines and Taiwan.

Reasons for making the map of Taiwan

Mapa de las islas de Taiwán (Hermosa o Formosa) y Luzón y costa de la China cercana.

Map of the islands of Taiwan, Luzón and the Chinese coast.

Andrade argues that de los Ríos Coronel viewed Taiwan as being part of the Philippine archipelago and a possession of the Crown of Castile.

With a distance of only 700 kilometers north of the island of Luzon, which formed the heart of the Spanish colony of the Philippines, Spanish officials argued for the defense of Taiwan against the Dutch (which had established a colony in the south of Taiwan). Together with these officials, de los Ríos Coronel feared Taiwan might soon be lost and the Philippines being threatened next.[8]

Furthermore, he pointed out that Taiwan possessed a good harbor at Jilong, modern-day Port of Keelung which could be easily defended; "With three-hundred men and a fortress placed there, all the powers of these parts would not be enough to dislodge them, for the entrance is narrow and easy to defend with artillery. The port is large, deep, and safe from winds."[8]

Map of Taiwan (Isla Hermosa)

Backside including watermark and reference to de los Ríos Coronel as author.

According to Lamb,[5] in 1597[8] de los Ríos Coronel drew the first map of the islands of Taiwan (Hermosa o Formosa), Luzón and the Chinese coast. The map is oriented north to south and west to east. It depicts the main island of Luzon (currently part of Philippines) on the bottom of the map, including Manila and Manila Bay; Cagayan is spelt as cagaian on the map.

Taiwan is depicted at the top of the map as 'Isla Hermosa' (lit. beautiful island in Spanish). While on the top right corner of the island is the Port of Keelung (Puerto de Keilang). Also in the top right corner, the Ryukyu Islands are depicted, which are named Lequios[9] and writing por aqui sera a Japon.

On the top left corner of the map he depicts the locations of Canton (modern Guangzhou and Macau).

References

Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 9781409482420.
Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 177. ISBN 9781409482420.
Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 9781409482420.
Lee, Erika (2015). The Making of Asian America: A History (illustrated ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp. 21–22. ISBN 9781476739427.
Lamb, Ursula (1985). "Nautical Scientists and Their Clients in Iberia (1508-1624): Science from Imperial Perspective". Revista da Universidade de Coimbra. 32: 58–59.
Crossley, Professor John Newsome (2013-07-28). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4094-8242-0.
Navarro Brotóns, V. (2007). "Astronomy and cosmology in Spain in the Seventeenth century: the new practice of astronomy and the end of the Aristotelian-Scholastic cosmos". Cronos (10): 16–17 – via Google scholar.
Andrade, Tonio. "How Taiwan Became Chinese". How Taiwan Became Chinese. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
Takeuchi, Keiichi (March 2004). "Perception of the Mediterranean World in China and Japan and vice versa in the History of Geograpy and Cartography". Mediterranean World. 17: 6. hdl:10086/14887.

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[1] Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 25. ISBN 9781409482420.

[2] Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 177. ISBN 9781409482420.

[:2-3] Newsome Crossley, John (2013). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 9781409482420.

[:1-4] Lee, Erika (2015). The Making of Asian America: A History (illustrated ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp. 21–22. ISBN 9781476739427.

[:0-5] Lamb, Ursula (1985). "Nautical Scientists and Their Clients in Iberia (1508-1624): Science from Imperial Perspective". Revista da Universidade de Coimbra. 32: 58–59.

[6] Crossley, Professor John Newsome (2013-07-28). Hernando de los Ríos Coronel and the Spanish Philippines in the Golden Age. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4094-8242-0.

[:3-7] Navarro Brotóns, V. (2007). "Astronomy and cosmology in Spain in the Seventeenth century: the new practice of astronomy and the end of the Aristotelian-Scholastic cosmos". Cronos (10): 16–17 – via Google scholar.

[:4-8] Andrade, Tonio. "How Taiwan Became Chinese". How Taiwan Became Chinese. Retrieved 2023-03-14.

[9] Takeuchi, Keiichi (March 2004). "Perception of the Mediterranean World in China and Japan and vice versa in the History of Geograpy and Cartography". Mediterranean World. 17: 6. hdl:10086/14887.