The paper of the Padre Pío Galtés about the plant fossils of El Chorrillo; new reading 136 years later

Abstract

Context: 136 years ago a scientific event of special relevance to science and technology occurred in Camagüey and Cuba.

Objective: To present an annotated reproduction of the pamphlet Memoir on some plant fossils found in El Chorrillo (Puerto Príncipe), published in 1887 by Padre Pío Galtés, Escolapio.

Methods: We worked basically with documentary review and consultation with specialized personnel. The information located on the 1887 editions was compared. Basic information was collected about the author, the institutions in which he worked in Cuba, as well as the people, botanical species and localities that are mentioned in the text, with details referring to the current toponymy.

Results: During the first stay of Padre Pío Galtés in Cuba (1870-1887), he directed the boarding school of the Pías schools of Guanabacoa (1873-1885) and was rector of the one in Port-au-Prince (1885-1987). In this last year he made an expedition to El Chorrillo, there he collected plant fossils that he studied in detail and published a 19-page memoir, published in the city itself by the El Fanal Press, which is made available to contemporary readers.

Conclusions: Monteverdia pays tribute to Padre Pío Galtés, a pioneer of science, who carried out his work under very difficult conditions, but with an important legacy, which must be studied by current and future generations.