Botanical Expedition to the Viceroyalty of Peru
Encyclopedia
The Botanical Expedition to the Viceroyalty of Peru took place in the territories of the Viceroyalty of Peru
and Chile
between 1777 and 1788.
It was commissioned by King Charles III of Spain
and headed by botanists Hipólito Ruiz López
, José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
and Joseph Dombey
.
at the Royal Botanical Garden, Hipólito Ruiz López
was named head botanist of the expedition, with French physician Joseph Dombey
and pharmacologist José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
appointed as his assistants.
Two prestigious botanical illustrators, Joseph Bonete and Isidro Gálvez, also accompanied the expedition.
in 1777 and arrived at Lima
on April 1778.
For over ten years, from 1778 to 1788, they explored the territories of present Peru and Chile studying and collecting specimens.
The expedition suffered all kinds of setbacks during this time, ranging from the sinking of the ship San Pedro de Alcantara in 1784 that carried numerous botanical samples, a 1785 fire in the Peruvian population in Macora that resulted in the loss of additional samples and equipment, to quarrels between the members of the expeditionary team, specially between Ruiz and Dombey, that resulted in the latter leaving the group in 1784. He was replaced by Juan José Tafalla Navascués that same year.
In 1788, the bulk of the expedition returned to Spain, only remaining Tafalla in Peru with a mandate to continue sending material. Painters Xavier Cortes and Jose Gabriel Rivera joined botanist Agustin Jose Manzanilla in 1793. Between 1799 and 1808 an herbarium was set up in the territory of present Quito (Ecuador) to further study the Huayaquilensis Flora, that continued making regular mailings of material to Spain until the death of Tafalla in 1811.
All together, more than 3,000 specimens of plants were collected and 2,500 life-sized botanical illustrations were produced, and when they returned to Spain they brought back a great many living plants, among which was a medicinal remedy for the flu as well as toothaches, using as a base the boiled spouts of Buddleja incana
.
The collections that arrived in Cádiz in 1788 were in the most part in good condition, and were deposited at the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
and the Gabinete de Historia Natural, the precursor of the Museum of Natural History. The discoveries included about 150 new genera and 500 new species, which still retain the names given them by Ruiz and Pavón. Unfortunately, a part of the collection consisting of 53 crates with 800 illustrations, dried plants, seeds, resins and minerals was lost when the ship transporting it was wrecked on the coast of Portugal.
Ruiz and Pavón also published together Systema vegetabilium florae peruvianae chilensis, on 1798, and Flora peruviana, et chilensis, sive descriptiones, et icones, between 1798 and 1802.
The journals Ruiz produced for his exploration of South America during these years are remarkable for their breadth of ethnobotanical
and natural history knowledge. Of particular interest at the time was pharmacological
knowledge of New World plants such as Chinchona
, the source of the anti-malarial, quinine. In addition to detailed descriptions and paintings of the flora and fauna of Peru and Chile, Ruiz observed the geology and weather of the area, and included cultural information about the life of the Indians and the colonists of the area. The result of these observations was the publication of Quinología o tratado del árbol de la quina in Madrid, 1792, that was promptly translated into Italian in 1792, German in 1794 and English in 1800.
In addition to the detailed descriptions and paintings of the flora and fauna of Peru and Chile, Ruiz also reflected on the geology and the weather conditions of the explored territories. He also included ethnological information about the lifestyle of both the indigenous population and the colonists that had settled in those areas.
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Hipólito Ruiz López was named a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine in 1794, and he published various works in that body's Memoires.
After Ruiz passed away on 1816, Pavón sold a part of the collections of the expedition to Aylmer Bourke Lambert
, who had translated several botanical papers from the expedition, and to Philip Barker Webb
. Thanks to Lambert, he was later elected member of the Linnean Society of London
.
The main collection consisting of more than ten thousand engravings remained at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
, together with 2,254 botanical drawings with descriptions. Most of the documentation related to the expedition and the Flora peruviana publication is at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
, in Madrid. The ethnological material from the expedition can be found today at the Museum of the Americas
, also in Madrid.
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
between 1777 and 1788.
It was commissioned by King Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
and headed by botanists Hipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López , or Hipólito Ruiz, was a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788...
, José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
José Antonio Pavón Jiménez or José Antonio Pavón was a Spanish botanist known for researching the flora of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788...
and Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey was a French botanist. He was involved in the “Dombey affair” which was precipitated by British seizure of a vessel his collections were on and diversion of the collections to the British Museum.-Biography:He ran away from home and acquired a thorough knowledge of botany in...
.
Background
During the eighteenth century Europe saw a flowering interest in the science of botany that in Spain crystallized in the organization of a series of scientific expeditions to Spanish colonial territories in America, the Pacific islands and Asia. King Charles III of Spain was very much in favor of these type of scientific research and provided funding for several explorations in the later part of the century.Preparations
Due to his formation under Casimiro Gómez OrtegaCasimiro Gómez Ortega
Casimiro Gómez de Ortega was a Spanish physician, and botanist who was the First Professor of the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid...
at the Royal Botanical Garden, Hipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López
Hipólito Ruiz López , or Hipólito Ruiz, was a Spanish botanist known for researching the floras of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788...
was named head botanist of the expedition, with French physician Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey
Joseph Dombey was a French botanist. He was involved in the “Dombey affair” which was precipitated by British seizure of a vessel his collections were on and diversion of the collections to the British Museum.-Biography:He ran away from home and acquired a thorough knowledge of botany in...
and pharmacologist José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
José Antonio Pavón Jiménez
José Antonio Pavón Jiménez or José Antonio Pavón was a Spanish botanist known for researching the flora of Peru and Chile during an expedition under Carlos III from 1777 to 1788...
appointed as his assistants.
Two prestigious botanical illustrators, Joseph Bonete and Isidro Gálvez, also accompanied the expedition.
Expedition
The expedition sailed from CádizCádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in 1777 and arrived at Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
on April 1778.
For over ten years, from 1778 to 1788, they explored the territories of present Peru and Chile studying and collecting specimens.
The expedition suffered all kinds of setbacks during this time, ranging from the sinking of the ship San Pedro de Alcantara in 1784 that carried numerous botanical samples, a 1785 fire in the Peruvian population in Macora that resulted in the loss of additional samples and equipment, to quarrels between the members of the expeditionary team, specially between Ruiz and Dombey, that resulted in the latter leaving the group in 1784. He was replaced by Juan José Tafalla Navascués that same year.
In 1788, the bulk of the expedition returned to Spain, only remaining Tafalla in Peru with a mandate to continue sending material. Painters Xavier Cortes and Jose Gabriel Rivera joined botanist Agustin Jose Manzanilla in 1793. Between 1799 and 1808 an herbarium was set up in the territory of present Quito (Ecuador) to further study the Huayaquilensis Flora, that continued making regular mailings of material to Spain until the death of Tafalla in 1811.
All together, more than 3,000 specimens of plants were collected and 2,500 life-sized botanical illustrations were produced, and when they returned to Spain they brought back a great many living plants, among which was a medicinal remedy for the flu as well as toothaches, using as a base the boiled spouts of Buddleja incana
Buddleja
Buddleja, often misspelled Buddleia but commonly known as the Butterfly Bush, is a genus of flowering plants. The generic name bestowed by Linnaeus honours the Reverend Adam Buddle , a botanist and rector in Essex, England, but who could never have seen a plant of the genus.-Classification:The...
.
The collections that arrived in Cádiz in 1788 were in the most part in good condition, and were deposited at the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
The is an botanical garden located at , next to the Prado Museum in Madrid ....
and the Gabinete de Historia Natural, the precursor of the Museum of Natural History. The discoveries included about 150 new genera and 500 new species, which still retain the names given them by Ruiz and Pavón. Unfortunately, a part of the collection consisting of 53 crates with 800 illustrations, dried plants, seeds, resins and minerals was lost when the ship transporting it was wrecked on the coast of Portugal.
Publications
Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez published Flora Peruviana et Chilensis prodromus in ten volumes, richly illustrated with engravings of the specimens. The first four volumes were published between 1798 and 1802. The last six volumes were published after the death of Ruiz.Ruiz and Pavón also published together Systema vegetabilium florae peruvianae chilensis, on 1798, and Flora peruviana, et chilensis, sive descriptiones, et icones, between 1798 and 1802.
The journals Ruiz produced for his exploration of South America during these years are remarkable for their breadth of ethnobotanical
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and plants....
and natural history knowledge. Of particular interest at the time was pharmacological
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
knowledge of New World plants such as Chinchona
Cinchona
Cinchona or Quina is a genus of about 38 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. They are large shrubs or small trees growing 5–15 metres in height with evergreen foliage. The leaves are opposite, rounded to lanceolate and 10–40 cm long. The flowers are white, pink...
, the source of the anti-malarial, quinine. In addition to detailed descriptions and paintings of the flora and fauna of Peru and Chile, Ruiz observed the geology and weather of the area, and included cultural information about the life of the Indians and the colonists of the area. The result of these observations was the publication of Quinología o tratado del árbol de la quina in Madrid, 1792, that was promptly translated into Italian in 1792, German in 1794 and English in 1800.
In addition to the detailed descriptions and paintings of the flora and fauna of Peru and Chile, Ruiz also reflected on the geology and the weather conditions of the explored territories. He also included ethnological information about the lifestyle of both the indigenous population and the colonists that had settled in those areas.
Aftermath
After Ruiz passed away on 1816, Pavón sold a part of the collections of the expedition to Aylmer Bourke Lambert
Aylmer Bourke Lambert
Aylmer Bourke Lambert was a British botanist, one of the first fellows of the Linnean Society.He is best known for his work A description of the genus Pinus, issued in several parts 1803-1824, a sumptuously illustrated folio volume detailing all of the conifers then known...
, who had translated several botanical papers from the expedition, and to Philip Barker Webb
Philip Barker Webb
Philip Barker Webb was an English botanist.Webb, who was born to a wealthy aristocratic family studied languages, botany, and geology at Harrow and Oxford. He collected plants in Italy, Spain and Portugal, and was the first person to collect in the Tetuan Mountains of Morocco...
. Thanks to Lambert, he was later elected member of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
.
The main collection consisting of more than ten thousand engravings remained at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
The is an botanical garden located at , next to the Prado Museum in Madrid ....
, together with 2,254 botanical drawings with descriptions. Most of the documentation related to the expedition and the Flora peruviana publication is at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
The Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales is the National Museum of Natural History of Spain. It is situated in the center of Madrid, by the Paseo de la Castellana. It is managed by the Spanish National Research Council....
, in Madrid. The ethnological material from the expedition can be found today at the Museum of the Americas
Museum of the Americas (Madrid)
The Museum of America in Madrid is a National museum that holds artistic, archaeological and ethnographic collections from the whole American continent, ranging from the Paleolithic period to the present day....
, also in Madrid.
See also
- Royal Botanical Expedition to New SpainRoyal Botanical Expedition to New SpainThe Royal Botanical Expedition to New Spain was a scientific expedition that took place in the territories of New Spain between 1787 and 1803....
- Royal Botanical Expedition to New GranadaRoyal Botanical Expedition to New GranadaThe Royal Botanical Expedition to New Granada took place between 1783 and 1816 in the territories of New Granada, covering present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, Peru and northern Brazil and western Guyana....
External links
- Ruiz & Pavón Herbarium at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
- "Flora Peruviana et Chilensis" at Botanicus.org
- "Systema vegetabilium florae peruvianae et chilensis" bibdigital.rjb.csic.es