The Mexico City mint

José Garcia Anzalda and Manuel Ruiz Tejada

Manuel Ruiz de Tejada was born in Aguascalientes on 11 October 1779. On 1 January 1792 he enrolled in the Escuela de Minas (then the Real Seminario de Minería) in Mexico City, the day that it opened, and spent part of his course at mines in Zacatecas before graduating with the highest honours. He then substituted for the ailing professor of Mathematics and on the latter’s death took over the post. On the death of the professor of Physics, he took over that role, which he held for sixty years. As the corps of professors of Minería was the only scientific body in Mexico at that time, all questions that should have been decided by government or individuals were passed to them and Tejada, always part of the relevant commission, propounded and decided them “with his good judgement, vast knowledge and privileged talent”. When Baron Alexander von Humboldt, the German polymath, geographer, naturalist and explorer, visited Mexico in 1803 he developed a friendship with the one he called “the wise Tejada”, and they corresponded until von Humboldt’s death in 1859.

Tejada was appointed Ensayador 1^o Supernumerio of the Mexico City mint by royal cédula of 5 May 1815 “to reward his knowledge (para premiar sus concocimientos)”, a position he held until his death.

He served in various legislatures, and in 1847 took up arms in defence of his country.

On 10 February 1866 Emperor Maximilian invested him as a Knight of the Imperial Order of the Mexican Eagle^{La Sociedad, Tomo VI, Núm. 966, 15 February 1866}.

He died on 28 January 1867^{La Sociedad, Tomo V. Núm. 1,299, 1 February 1867}.

unknown and Francisco Hermosa

Francisco Hermosa was born in Mexico City on 13 January 1829. He entered the Colegio de Mineria in 1843 and graduated as an Ensayador-Apartador de Metales on 5 September 1849. He then worked in the mining areas of Guanajuato, El Oro and Tlalpujahua and in 1857 produced a small work entitled Manual de Laboreo de Minas y Beneficio de metals, dispuestopara uso de los mineros y azogueros de la República Mexicana.

He was appointed ensayador at the beginning of May 1857 and served for thirty-three years, retiring on 5 December 1889.

He died on 14 May 1891^{El Tiempo, 26 May 1891}.