Mexican medic and naturalist, Manuel Maria Villada was amongst those responsible for founding and supporting the Mexican Society of Natural History. Born in Mexico City he began his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrín where he learnt Latin and philosophy. In pursuit of a profession in surgery he trained at the National Medical School and while still a student taught operational medicine, before graduating in 1864. Later he was employed by the National Museum as a professor in their botany section (1868) and would also teach botany courses at the National Preparatory School and the School of Agriculture.

A member of numerous scientific societies (including those for geography, health, medicine, forestry and agriculture in Mexico) he was a key founding member of the Mexican Society of Natural History, editing their publication La Naturaleza from its very beginning. He was a constant unofficial administrative figure and was an interim director in 1881.

Interested in all aspects of natural history he explored much of Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz and collected several hundred herbarium specimens. These were deposited in the herbarium of the National Museum which he also founded, and which was the first post-independence institutional herbarium the country. He published numerous articles, including accounts of his travels and the obituaries of other notable Mexican scientists, as well as many works of botanical interest, such as a floristic study of the southern part of the state of Hidalgo, and a catalogue of indigenous venomous plants.

Sources:
I. K. Langman, 1964, A selected guide to the literature on the flowering plants of Mexico
J. Riquelme Inda, 1948, "Los presidentes de la Sociedad Mexicana de Historia Natural de su primera época". Revista de la Sociedad Mexicana de Historia Natural 9:309-329
J. Rzedowski, G. Calderón de Rzedowski, and A. Butanda, 2009, Los principales colectores de plantas activos en México entre 1700 y 1930.