  Astronomical interest within the current Colombian territory has its roots in
the Botanical Expedition of the New Kingdom of Granada (1783-1813), which
stimulated the creation of an astronomical observatory in 1803, the first one
established in the New World to pursue systematic observations and
meteorological studies. After the death in 1816 of its first director,
Francisco Jose de Caldas (1768-1816), during the convulsive independence
period, no major astronomical observations were made for decades, with few
exceptions. In this work we delve into the contributions of the astronomer Jose
Maria Gonzalez Benito (1843-1903), main reactivator of the Observatorio
Astron\'omico Nacional de Colombia in the second half of the 19th century,
pointing out his pioneering efforts that put worldwide attention to it, and to
his own private observatory making him one of the most committed figures to the
development of astronomical sciences in the country and the most renowned
Colombian in the international astronomical research scene of his time.
