Humboldt in Mexico, 1803–1804
Humboldt in Mexico, 1803–1804
- Myron EchenbergMyron EchenbergDepartment of History and Classical Studies, Mcgill University
Summary
During his breathtaking 19th-century scientific explorations of New Spain (as Mexico was known under Spanish rule), illustrious German scientific traveler Alexander von Humboldt crammed a lifetime of scientific studies into one extraordinary year: exhausting inspections of three major colonial silver mines, prodigious hikes to the summits of most of Mexico’s major volcanoes while taking scientific measurements and botanical samples, careful study of hitherto secret Spanish colonial archives in Mexico City, and visits to recently uncovered archaeological sites of pre-Hispanic cultures. Humboldt wrote voluminously about his Mexican experiences and is an indispensable source of insights into the colony of New Spain on the eve of its troubled birth as independent Mexico a decade later.
Keywords
Subjects
- History of Mexico
- 1492–1824
- Environmental History
- Intellectual History
