Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha (1760-1810)

Juan Antonio Gutiérrez de la Concha y Mazón was a Spanish sailor and military man who became Governor of Córdoba in New Andalusia. His significance in the field of cartography cannot be underestimated. He took part in the "Malaspina Expedition" led by Alejandro Malaspina and José Bustamante y Guerra, which clarified the need to create hydrographic maps of the American and Philippine coastlines, similar to Vicente Tofiño's work in Spain. The reorganization of maritime traffic in the Pacific required the study of ports and commercial routes, and their cartography. The expedition took 62 months to travel the South American Atlantic coast and the continent's entire Pacific coast, from Buenos Aires to Alaska, the Mariana Islands and the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, and the Babao Archipelago.

The cartographic teams on the expedition were familiar with new astronomical methods and the latest scientific instruments. Among them was Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha, who was responsible for mapping the San Jorge Gulf in Patagonia, Argentina between 1794 and 1795.

The portrait shows him facing forward, dressed in the brigadier uniform worn by troop commanders in the Spanish Navy. He holds a compass in his left hand while his right rests on a nautical chart. A globe of the Earth can also be seen, and these elements allude to his mapping work on the Malaspina Expedition.