Do we fully grasp who this universal man from Tenerife was and what lies behind his work?
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We know many things, yet there is still much to discover, study, interpret, and above all, to share. Unfortunately, his memory faded as his disciples from the school he founded in 1802, the School of Roads and Canals, diminished. Up until the second half of the 19th century, his disciples continued to refer to it as the Betancourt School. Even in the 1856 issue of the Public Works Review (ROP), almost thirty years after his death in St. Petersburg in 1824, it was still being mentioned under that name.
You have examined Agustín de Betancourt’s texts in detail. What documents have you analysed and with what purpose?
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Currently, there are numerous publications and specific studies available, but I would recommend Antonio Rumeu de Armas’ book, “La ciencia y tecnología en la España ilustrada – la escuela de caminos y canales”. Personally, I am interested in analysing our character through his reports, where he subtly reveals his personality, ideas, concerns… Ortega said that we are “the self and the circumstances”. Well, between the lines of each report or memo, Betancourt not only reveals his personality but also reflects the circumstances of the historical moments he lived through, which evidently influenced his life and probably the future of Spain.
During the conference we will offer tomorrow on Monday at the Plenary Hall of the Puerto de la Cruz Town Hall at 19:00, we will discuss this specific topic and compare this evolution through four reports written over a 20-year historical period, from 1783 to 1803, and what this represents historically: Reports on the mines of Almadén (1783); Notice of the imperial ditch, or real channel of Aragon (1784); Report on means to facilitate domestic trade (1791) and News on the current state of the roads and canals of Spain, causes of their delays, defects, and measures to remedy them in the future (1804).
«There were few things he could accomplish in Tenerife: at 20 years old, he moved to Madrid to further his education, driven by a thirst for knowledge, and never returned to his island»
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In what areas have the studies and inventions of the Canary engineer and visionary had an impact?
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Betancourt was a versatile man, a pioneer in many fields, considered the father of modern Architecture and Engineering. He actively participated in diverse areas such as textiles, metallurgy, mining, dye chemistry, physics, agricultural techniques, coin minting and design, river and port dredging, development and application of steam engines, precision and measuring instruments, weapon factories, optical telegraphy, mechanical and hydraulic engineering, architecture, urban planning, land management, public works… And from different roles and responsibilities: scholarship holder, director of human teams, public servant, director of technical schools, researcher, inventor, writer of texts and publications… He was obsessed with education, culture, training, knowledge, teaching. In Spain, he founded the School of Roads and Canals of Madrid in 1802; In Russia, he created the Corps of Communication Route Engineers and its statutes in 1809; Institute of the Communication Route Corps 1809-1810, and between 1819-1820 the Construction School (medium-level technicians) and the Directors School (teachers and qualified workers), in addition to national technical expertise bodies.
Betancourt and Molina are mainly associated with the development of Russian cities. Has this label overshadowed any of his efforts to modernise Tenerife?
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He could achieve little in Tenerife. At 20 years old, in 1778, he moved to Madrid to continue his education. Drawn to the Enlightenment, fascinated by the thirst for knowledge, he never returned to his homeland. In his youth, he and his sister María del Carmen designed an epicylindrical machine for silk spinning. She is another of the great unknown geniuses of the Tenerife Enlightenment. Interestingly, they were born in the same year (1758), and they both passed away in 1824, so in 2024 we commemorate the 200th anniversary of both their deaths. The Royal Economic Society of Friends of Tenerife preserves in its archives original documents on the studies, research, and inventions of the Betancourt and Molina siblings.
«Tomorrow in Puerto de la Cruz, after analysing his reports, I will discuss the circumstances of the moments he lived through and his personality»
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Do you think Canarias has treated him as he deserves?
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I would say that the treatment is clearly improvable. This year marks the 200th anniversary of his death, and an exhibition on Betancourt has been held at the National Library of Spain from early April to mid-June, with success among the public and critics.
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The Foundation is currently attempting to organise a specific exhibition with museums in Tenerife. Progress is being made, but at an exasperatingly slow pace. We hope to have news before the end of the year. When we hear about regions where schools dedicate a week of the term to promoting the figure of a distinguished person from the area, we deeply regret not being able to emulate the idea to honour and promote universal intellectuals like Agustín de Betancourt, a figure admired in Russia and practically unknown in his homeland. We need to convey his importance to society, especially to the youth.
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