Quick Facts
Biography
José Antonio Acosta (18th century) was a Spanish Catholic priest, of outstanding performance during the Viceroyalty of Peru, serving in the holy charity of Buenos Aires. He also served as Rector of the Real Colegio de San Carlos between 1786 and 1792.
Biography
Acosta was born in Buenos Aires, son of a Creole family of Portuguese and Spanish origin. He studied at the prestigious Colegio of Monserrat located in Córdoba. And he probably did his tertiary studies in University of Saint Francis Xavier.
Acosta was an active defender of the rights of the underprivileged. In 1775, he denounced before the viceregal authorities, the abuses committed by the encomendero of the tribes of the Itatí, Corrientes. In 1790 Acosta served as an interim chaplain in Puerto Deseado (Patagonia). He also had outstanding acting as a teacher, serving in several periods as rector of the main College of Buenos Aires.
As a priest of the Cathedral of Buenos Aires, José Antonio Acosta realized the marriages and baptism of distinguished personalities of Buenos Aires, including the marriage of Patricio French de Alcala and Bernardina Manuela Dávila de Lafuente. He was the priest who had blessed to Juan Gregorio de las Heras, and Maria Josefa Anastacia Belgrano González, daughter of Domingo Belgrano and María Josefa González. He also baptized several members of the Basavilbaso family, one of the most important families of the city.