made ▁under ▁similar ▁principles , ▁and ▁critics ▁of ▁such ▁thought ▁were ▁rejected ▁as ▁t yr ants ▁or ▁pro ponents ▁of ▁out dated ▁ideas . ▁However , ▁the ▁Spanish ▁En light en ment ▁was ▁slightly ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁French ▁one ▁as ▁it ▁still ▁respect ed ▁religion ▁and ▁the ▁mon archy . ▁Thus , ▁despite ▁the ▁new ▁influ ences , ▁Bel gr ano ▁remained ▁a ▁strong ▁Catholic ▁and ▁monarch ist . ▁ ▁Bel gr ano ▁also ▁studied ▁living ▁languages , ▁political ▁economy , ▁and ▁public ▁rights . ▁The ▁authors ▁that ▁most ▁influenced ▁him ▁were ▁Pedro ▁Rodríguez ▁de ▁Camp oman es , ▁Gas par ▁Mel chor ▁de ▁J ov ell anos , ▁Adam ▁Smith , ▁and ▁François ▁Qu es n ay . ▁Bel gr ano ▁translated ▁Qu es n ay ' s ▁book ▁Max imes ▁gén ér ales ▁de ▁gouvernement ▁econom ique ▁d ' un ▁ro yaume ▁agr icole ▁( General ▁Max ims ▁of ▁the ▁Econom ical ▁Government ▁in ▁an ▁Agricult ural ▁Kingdom ) ▁to ▁Spanish . ▁His ▁main ▁interest ▁in ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁such ▁authors ▁were ▁ideas ▁that ▁referred ▁to ▁the ▁public ▁good ▁and ▁popular ▁prosper ity . ▁Like ▁many ▁South ▁American ▁students , ▁he ▁became ▁interested ▁in ▁phys i ocracy , ▁which ▁stated ▁that ▁new ▁wealth ▁came ▁from ▁nature , ▁that ▁agricult ure ▁was ▁an ▁economic ▁activity ▁that ▁generated ▁more ▁income ▁than ▁one ▁needed , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁state ▁should ▁not ▁inter f ere ▁at ▁all ▁with ▁it . ▁By ▁that ▁time , ▁South ▁America ▁had ▁plenty ▁of ▁natural ▁resources ▁and ▁a ▁very ▁strict