Abstract

VEGA Y ORTEGA BAEZ, Rodrigo Antonio  and  FLORES HERRERA, Gustavo Enrique. An expert official. The geographical production of the engineer Manuel Fernández Leal, 1877-1911. Invest. Geog [online]. 2022, n.109, e60581.  Epub May 29, 2023. ISSN 2448-7279.  https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.60581.

The influence of the engineer Fernández Leal in Geography, in addition to his participation in some scientific commissions, took place in his roles as head of the Ministry of Public Works, director and professor of the National School of Engineers, and president and member of the Mexican Association of Engineers and Architects and the Mexican Academy of Physical and Natural Sciences. Most of his scientific work was published as articles, speeches, reports, and reflections, both in the public press and in specialized journals. Given the large volume of available information to study the life and work of engineer Fernández, this work focused on his articles published in the hemerographic realm, where his geographical production was printed, being the main communication medium for science in Mexico and the world. It should be noted that these were scientific publications that brought together an audience specialized in geographical practice, rather than press articles targeting the general public.

The present article examines the geographical production of Fernández Leal as an example of the scientific participation of expert officials in the analysis and presentation of proposals on issues of public and government interest in Porfirio Díaz’s times. The geographical exploration of Mexico was an important practice for the political control and economic development of the country within the objectives of the different Mexican governments during the last third of the 19th century. Both objectives were related to geography, topography, hydrography, geodesy, cartography and meteorology to undertake the scientific survey of the country, identify the natural resources of each geographical region, and detect badlands wth potential for use in agricultural and industrial activities.

We adopted the proposal by Christopher M. Milroy (2017) about considering this scientific expert a professional with the qualifications to make decisions on issues of social and government interest based on his academic skills.

Experts cooperating with the government were part of the professional communities that maintained links in topics of interest with governments through their incorporation into scientific institutions. Also, much of their reputation was based on their authorship of contributions in journals and books. In addition to their performance as state officials, these experts formed a specialized audience that consumed academic publications, both sponsored by public resources and those printed by private editors to stay up-to-date on public affairs.

Fernandez Leal exemplifies the Mexican scientist who participated in the construction of the expert officer character because his hemerographic work was linked to his participation in the Ministry of Development and the National School of Engineers. Moreover, the issues addressed in the AIAM journal refer to government concerns about exploration in Mexico.

The relevance of studying the geographical work of the engineer Fernandez Leal lies in showing how one official expressed, in specialized publications, the topics he deemed relevant in the public discussion of the time. On the other hand, the review of his geographical production attests to the concerns of a generation of experts who promoted the modernizing project of Porfirio Díaz.

The main findings show that Fernandez Leal exemplifies a Mexican scientist who participated in the construction of the expert officer character, since his hemerographic work was linked to his participation in the Ministry of Development and the National School of Engineers. The study of his geographical production allows us to give an account of the concerns of a generation of experts who promoted the modernizing project of Porfirio Díaz. The conclusions show that Fernandez Leal’s thinking was guided by three axes: the recognition of Mexican regions of geopolitical interest, the reflection on the economic capacities of the territory, and the modernization of topographic activities. Fernandez Leal worked as a government officer for several terms thanks to his scientific-technical skills as an expert in both scientific practice and the administration of public resources.

This article is divided into two sections: “Government concerns and the Mexican geographical practice in the late 19th century and early 20th century”, which provides context to the writings of the Mexican engineer, and “The geographical production of the engineer Manuel Fernández Leal”, divided into sections that discuss each writing. The conclusions are outlined at the end.

Keywords : science; territory; agriculture; press; Mexico.

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