About José Gumilla
Lived 1686 – 1750 (aged 63–64). José Gumilla was a writer, naturalist and missionary.
Joseph Gumilla (1686, in Cárcer – 1750, in the Llanos) was a Jesuit priest who wrote a natural history of the Orinoco River region.
Biography In 1705 he left Spain for New Granada (today Colombia) where he studied at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. He was ordained in 1714 and went to the Orinoco Mission. In 1701 he went to Venezuela and worked there for 35 years. He was sometime Rector of the School of Cartagena, Provincial Superior of New Granada, and Procurator in Rome from 1738. Here he wrote El Orinoco Ilustrado (Madrid, 1741). He returned to South America in 1743 with Filippo Salvatore Gilii. Gumilla introduced coffee into Venezuela in 1732. The beans were exported to Brazil.
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was José Gumilla?
Spanish Jesuit naturalist
When was José Gumilla born?
José Gumilla was born in 1686 in Càrcer.
When did José Gumilla die?
José Gumilla died in 1750 in Venezuela.
What was José Gumilla's occupation?
José Gumilla was a writer, naturalist and missionary.
What nationality was José Gumilla?
José Gumilla's recorded nationality: Crown of Aragon.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). José Gumilla. https://biography.guide/jose-gumilla/
MLA: "José Gumilla." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jose-gumilla/.
Chicago: "José Gumilla." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jose-gumilla/.
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