Revista Digital Universitaria ISSN: 1607 - 6079 | Publicación mensual | 1 de abril de 2015 vol.16, No.4
ABSTRACT
Ángel Anguiano (1840-1921), architect and engineer, was appointed in 1876 as the first director of the new Observatorio Astronómico Nacional Mexicano (National Astronomical Observatory of Mexico), in 1876. This fact made him responsible of setting up the new Observatory and he had to decide what instruments were required, their features, and which would be the hire staff. His position as head of the Observatory placed him as one of the main astronomy experts in the country, at the forefront of the emergent community of Mexicans astronomers. This paper explores briefly Anguiano’s career during the first two decades on his work at the National Observatory, and pinpoints the ambivalence of his position: an expert among the local community, but a novice in the international context. This case exemplifies how the acknowledgement of expertise is closely linked with context, and with the perceptions of expertise held by the relevant communities involved in its shaping.
Keywords: astronomer, observatory, legitimation, communities, Angel Anguiano
The Astronomer Ángel Anguiano: an Expert Apprentice
Mónica de la Guardia DuránKeywords: astronomer, observatory, legitimation, communities, Angel Anguiano