Spanish scientific expeditions in America during the 18th century

Cristina Portillo Mayorga /

Spain

Presented by the Embassy of Spain and the Spanish Cultural and Educational Center "Reyes Católicos"

The eighteenth century in Spain begins with the arrival of a new dynasty, the Bourbons, and with the introduction of the Enlightenment. The creation of enlightened institutions such as the Royal Academies, the Astronomical Observatories, Botanical Gardens or the Natural History Cabinets that are appearing, both in Spain and in America, denote the great effort to modernize that is carried out in this century. At the same time, a series of expeditions were carried out, organized from the Peninsula or from the enlightened elites of the viceroyalties, seeking to discover the territory, its flora and fauna, catalog its natural wealth, map rivers and coasts and, in short, modernize the Spanish empire. and lay the foundations for future Spanish and American scientific development. The Spanish Cultural and Educational Center "Reyes Católicos" in Bogotá (Colombia), dependent on the Embassy of Spain, presents the exhibition "Spanish Scientific Expeditions in America during the 18th century. The exhibition includes some general elements of the 'Age of Enlightenment' as well as the expeditions considered most relevant. The exhibition consists of twenty panels that reveal the routes and the most important works carried out. 42 altarpieces are also provided, with high-quality reproductions of natural history, landscapes and ethnography plates, from the collections stored in the Archives of the Royal Botanical Garden and the Naval Museum.