Santiago, the fying man of the Viceroyalty of Peru

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

Santiago de Cardenas (1726-1766) was famous in Colonial Peru because of his studies about flying. He was a sort of Da Vinci of Colonial Americas.
He propossed the viceroy of Peru to build a machine to fly and rumour spread in Lima he was to attempt a flying and he had to be protected by the crows afterwards.

A curious character and very unknown outside Peru, but that show that in the dark and misterious colonial times in South America there were also weird and interesting people. 

The translation is mechanic. The article in Spanish follows

------------------

Santiago was a restlessness young  with many anxieties to learn and in just a short time managed to learn to read and to write, in spite of not being able to attend a school. At the age of 10 years, urged by the necessities in its home it is recruited like cabin boy in a boat of the merchant marine; in that it remains by several years, until a violent tidal wave happened in 1746, makes encayar the ship. Being one of the survivors, it decides to finish his marine workings. Dumb towards Lima, the capital where it makes works of mechanic. But to him always the birds had fascinated him and it intrigued the form to him how they could stay in the air and to fly gracefully; thus it was dedicated to study them, even hunting some of them, to analyze his forms and systems of flight. With the mechanics knowledge that it had acquired through the years, Santiago designs a mechanical model to be able to fly and sends copy of them with a request to the Virrey Manuel Amat and Juniet, soliciing resources for the construction of the same one. The request firstly was evaluated by Don Good Cosme, a personage of science, understood in many matters; who misestimated the request, denying him to it the resources that she had asked for. Like many of the things that happen nowadays, the news of the request from Santiago to the Virrey was "vox-populi", arriving at ears of all the town, being baptized with the pseudonym of "Santiago the rocket". Certain day, the false news that was run Santiago was going to fly from the Hill San Crist�bal, until the Seat of Arms; using the model that it had invented; what gave rise to that great amount of settlers met in this zone. They spent the hours and Santiago did not give samples to at least want to try its feat. Many of the reunited ones, went to look for it and they threatened it, including of death if it did not make his announced flight. Santiago flees and manages to take refuge in the Cathedral. While, also it arrived at ears of the Virrey Amat, the development of the events and this one hurries to send a special escort, so that it protects it and it takes it to Palace. With the aid of the Virrey, Santiago details the mechanical design of its flying apparatus in a manuscript that titles: "New System To sail by Airs". Its history has been described through the years by different writers. In 1878, Ricardo Palm, makes a copy, inserts a prologue to him written by he himself and it makes print in Valparaiso, Chile. By the end of century XIX, appears the work "Trip to the Globe of the Moon", of anonymous author; where several notes dedicated to "Santiago are inserted the Rocket". With this name him it is known been born Santiago de Cardenas, in Lima in 1726. It was first in initiating studies on the human flight, after 14 years of studies based on the observation of the flight of the birds, first of the birds of the coast, later of the Andean c�ndor. In 1761, it presents/displays to the Virrey Amat a memorial. Soon in 1762 it writes up another memorial that thought to command to the king of Spain and that titled "New system to sail by airs, removed from the observations of the volatile nature", with novel engravings and illustrations of the movement of the pens guides of the birds; its curvature, its positioning and its importance for the flight. Julio Ramon Ribeyro, also homenaje� to this colorful personage through its theater work "Life and passion of Santiago the pajarero". Santiago de Ca'rdenas, passed away in 1766. (LARS)

--------------------

http://www.boletindenewyork.com/personajes.santiagoel....htm

�Santiago el Volador� 

No s�lo Lima, tiene sus an�cdotas, muchas de las cuales nos fueron descritas por notables escritores como Ricardo Palma o Manuel Ascencio Segura. El Callao, nuestro puerto principal tambi�n tuvo lo suyo y cuenta la historia que all� por 1726, nace Santiago de C�rdenas, en un hogar muy humilde, ya que sus padres no pod�an sostenerse con los pocos recursos que contaban.

Santiago fue un ni�o lleno de inquietudes, con muchas ansias de aprender y en poco tiempo pudo saber leer y escribir, a pesar de no poder asistir a una escuela. A la edad de 10 a�os, apremiado por la necesidades en su hogar es reclutado como grumete en un barco de la marina mercante; en el que permanece por varios a�os, hasta que un violento maremoto acaecido en 1746, hace encayar la nave. Siendo uno de los sobrevivientes, decide terminar sus labores mar�timas.

Se muda hacia Lima, la capital donde realiza trabajos de mec�nico. Pero a �l siempre le hab�an fascinado las aves y le intrigaba la forma c�mo ellas pod�an mantenerse en el aire y volar gr�cilmente; por lo cual se dedic� a estudiarlas, incluso cazando alguna de ellas, para analizar sus formas y sistemas de vuelo.

Con los conocimientos de mec�nica que hab�a adquirido a trav�s de los a�os, Santiago dise�a un modelo mec�nico para poder volar y env�a copia de ellos con una petici�n al Virrey Manuel Amat y Juniet, solicitando recursos para la construcci�n del mismo. La solicitud fue primeramente evaluada por don Cosme Bueno, un personaje de ciencia, entendido en muchas materias; quien desestim� la petici�n, neg�ndosele los recursos que hab�a solicitado. Como muchas de las cosas que suceden hoy en d�a, la noticia de la petici�n de Santiago al Virrey fue �vox-populi�, llegando a o�dos de todo el pueblo, siendo bautizado con el seud�nimo de "Santiago el volador".

Cierto d�a, se corri� la falsa noticia de que Santiago iba a volar desde el Cerro San Crist�bal, hasta la Plaza de Armas; utilizando el modelo que hab�a inventado; lo que dio lugar a que gran cantidad de pobladores se reunieran en dicha zona. Pasaban las horas y Santiago no daba muestras de querer siquiera intentar su haza�a. Muchos de los reunidos, fueron a buscarlo y lo amenazaron, inclusive de muerte si no realizaba su pregonado vuelo. Santiago huye y logra refugiarse en la Catedral. Mientras, tambi�n llegaba a o�dos del Virrey Amat, el desarrollo de los sucesos y �ste se apresura a enviar una escolta especial, para que lo resguarde y lo lleve a Palacio. Con la ayuda del Virrey, Santiago detalla el dise�o mec�nico de su aparato volador en un manuscrito que titula: �Nuevo Sistema de Navegar por los Aires�.

Su historia ha sido descrita a trav�s de los a�os por diferentes escritores. En 1878, Ricardo Palma, saca una copia, le inserta un pr�logo escrito por �l mismo y la hace imprimir en Valpara�so, Chile. A fines del siglo XIX, aparece la obra �Viaje al Globo de la Luna�, de autor an�nimo; donde se insertan varias notas dedicadas a �Santiago el Volador".

Con este nombre se le conoce a Santiago de Cardenas, nacido en Lima en 1726. Fue el primero en iniciar estudios sobre el vuelo humano, despu�s de 14 a�os de estudios basados en la observaci�n del vuelo de las aves, primero de las aves del litoral, posteriormente del c�ndor andino. En 1761, presenta al Virrey Amat un memorial. Luego en 1762 redacta otro memorial que pens� mandar al rey de Espa�a y que titulaba "Nuevo sistema de navegar por los aires, sacado de las observaciones de la naturaleza vol�til", con novedosos grabados e ilustraciones del movimiento de las plumas gu�as de las aves; su curvatura, su colocaci�n y su importancia para el vuelo.

Julio Ram�n Ribeyro, tambi�n homenaje� a este pintoresco personaje a trav�s de su obra teatral "Vida y pasi�n de Santiago el pajarero". Santiago de C�rdenas, falleci� en 1766. (LARS)