I am Juan Bautista Corachán, professor of mathematics at the University of Valencia.

I was born in the city of Valencia in the year 1661, I am 58 years old and I am a professor of algebra in the Estudi General. It seems that the University is overcoming a rough patch that caused many professors to flee with Archduke Charles; however the scholastic tradition remains deeply rooted, countering the scientific renewal sweeping Europe. Before the War of Succession, at the turn of the last century, a group of young people attempted to introduce Spain to the new science beyond an academic sphere novatores, we were called. We gathered in small groups in the homes of Félix Falcó and Father Iñigo to discuss advancements in mathematics, geography and astronomy and how to teach these subjects. We also formed an academy of mathematics with the intention of creating a Valencian Scientific Society in the style of the English Royal Society. The city of Valencia was the place in Spain where the sciences flourished, thanks to figures like Father Tosca and Crisóstomo Martínez, but the war, a scarcity in resources and the resistance to the new ideas have forced the University to remain teaching the sciences of the past.