Patriarch of the Buendia family and founder of the town of Macondo, located in Colombia, Jose Arcadio Buendia married his cousin, Ursula Iguaran, they had to leave the town at the age of 20 because the ghost of Prudencio Aguilar was harassing them for months.

Together with Ursula, he had 3 children, these being Jose Arcadio (Son), Aureliano Buendia and Amaranta Buendia, he also adopted a girl named Rebeca (who also got the Buendia last name).

Jose Arcadio has always been interested in science, chemistry and mechanics, always interested and excited about ideas, being someone very idealistic and adventurous.

30 years after the founding of the town, Jose Arcadio Buendia discovers that time does not move forward and every day is repeated, he ends up going crazy (or everyone thinks he went crazy) and is tied to a chestnut tree, where he will remain for more than 15 years.

he is a character from the book One hundred years of Solitude (1967)