Conquering nature in Spain and its empire, 1750–1850

249 Pages·2011·26.082 MB·English

by  Helen Cowie

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General editor:John M.MacKenzie
Between 1750 and 1850,Spain made a concerted effort to survey,catalogue
and exploit the natural productions of its overseas possessions,arranging a
series of scientific expeditions,and cultivating and displaying American fauna
and flora in metropolitan gardens and museums.Conquering nature in Spain
and its empire assesses the cultural significance of natural history in
the Hispanic World,exploring the figurative and utilitarian value with which
eighteenth-century Spaniards invested natural objects – from globetrotting
elephants to three-legged chickens – and considering how the creation,
legitimisation and dissemination of scientific knowledge reflected broader
questions of imperial power and national identity.Taking a transatlantic
approach to the history of science, Conquering nature examines the
contribution of colonial subjects to the wider imperial research project.Of
particular interest is the ambiguous position of Creole (American-born
Spanish) naturalists,who were simultaneously anxious to secure European
recognition for their work, to celebrate the natural wealth of their
homelands,and,in some cases,to defend local forms of knowledge against
universal European systems. H E L E N C O W I E
Conquering nature considers how and where knowledge about the natural
world was created,assessing the relative merits of the field,the botanical
garden and the natural history cabinet.This analysis continues into the post-
independence period,when many northern European naturalists descended
on the former Spanish colonies,and when the emerging nation states of
South America sought to establish their own museums of natural history.
Helen Cowie is a lecturer in history at the University of York
Cover image:Osa palmera,from John Talbot Dillon,Travels through Spain(London:G.Robinson,
1780),p.90,© Wellcome Library,London C
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www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
general editor John M. MacKenzie
When the ‘Studies in Imperialism’ series was founded more
than twenty- fi ve years ago, emphasis was laid upon the
conviction that ‘imperialism as a cultural phenomenon
had as signifi cant an effect on the dominant as on the
subordinate societies’. With more than eighty books
published, this remains the prime concern of the series.
Cross-d isciplinary work has indeed appeared covering the
full spectrum of cultural phenomena, as well as examining
aspects of gender and sex, frontiers and law, science and
the environment, language and literature, migration and
patriotic societies, and much else. Moreover, the series has
always wished to present comparative work on European
and American imperialism, and particularly welcomes the
submission of books in these areas. The fascination with
imperialism, in all its aspects, shows no sign of abating,
and this series will continue to lead the way in encouraging
the widest possible range of studies in the fi eld. ‘Studies
in Imperialism’ is fully organic in its development, always
seeking to be at the cutting edge, responding to the latest
interests of scholars and the needs of this ever-e xpanding
area of scholarship.
Conquering nature in Spain and its empire,
1750–1850
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SELECTED TITLES AVAILABLE IN THE SERIES
MacKenzie – Museums and empire
Chakrabati – Materials and medicine
MacKenzie (ed.) – European empires and the people
Chamberlain – Empire and nation-building in the Caribbean
McAleer – Representing Africa
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Conquering nature in
Spain and its empire,
1750–1850
Helen Cowie
MANCHESTER
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Manchester and New York
distributed in the United States exclusively by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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Copyright © Helen Cowie 2011
The right of Helen Cowie to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted
by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Published by MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PRESS
OXFORD ROAD, MANCHESTER M13 9NR, UK
and ROOM 400, 175 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10010, USA
www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
Distributed in the United States exclusively by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 175 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10010, USA
Distributed in Canada exclusively by
UBC PRESS, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA,
2029 WEST MALL, VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA V6T 1Z2
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for
ISBN 978 0 7190 8493 5 hardback
First published 2011
The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for
any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Typeset
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CONTENTS
List of illustrations — vii
Acknowledgements — ix
General editor’s introduction — xi
Introduction 1
1 Morals and monuments 9
2 Sloth bones and anteater tongues: gathering nature’s
wonders 36
3 Nature on display 72
4 Peripheral vision 98
5 The creole conundrum 114
6 Civilisation and barbarism 149
7 Naturalistes sans frontières 181
Conclusion 211
Bibliography — 216
Index — 227
[ v ]
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ILLUSTRATIONS
1 The elephant from the Real Gabinete, Juan Bautista Bru
de Ramón, Colección de Láminas que Representan los
Animales y Monstruos del Real Gabinete de Historia
Natural de Madrid (Madrid: Imprenta de Andrés de Sotos,
1786), Vol. II, Plate 54, © Patrimonio Nacional 3
2 Félix de Azara, by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, 1805,
© Colección Ibercaja, Zaragoza 10
3 Asta su abuelo, from Los Caprichos, by Francisco Goya y
Lucientes, Plate 39 25
4 Osa palmera, from John Talbot Dillon, Travels through
Spain (London: G. Robinson, 1780), p. 90, © Wellcome
Library, London 56
5 Megatherium, drawn from the specimen in the Royal
Cabinet in Madrid, © Wellcome Library, London 58
6 A chicken with three legs, from Juan Bautista Bru de
Ramón, Colección de Láminas que Representan los
Animales y Monstruos del Real Gabinete de Historia
Natural de Madrid (Madrid: Imprenta de Andrés de Sotos,
1784), Vol. I, Plate 3, © Patrimonio Nacional 93
7 Oso hormiguero, Trujillo del Perú (Palacio Real, Real
Biblioteca, Manuscritos de América), Vol. VI, Plate 39,
© Patrimonio Nacional 126
8 Tigre grande, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. VI, Plate 36,
© Patrimonio Nacional 127
9 Camaleona, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. VI, Plate 77,
© Patrimonio Nacional 128
10 Mono leoncito, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. IV, Plate 16,
© Patrimonio Nacional 129
11 Mono negro, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. IV, Plate 12,
© Patrimonio Nacional 130
12 Sapote, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. IV, Plate 29,
© Patrimonio Nacional 131
13 Yucca, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. IV, Plate 126,
© Patrimonio Nacional 132
14 Osa palmera, from Juan Bautista Bru de Ramón, Colección
de Láminas que Representan los Animales y Monstruos
del Real Gabinete de Historia Natural (Madrid: Imprenta
[ vii ]
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
de Andrés de Sotos, 1786), Vol. II, Plate 53, © Patrimonio
Nacional 133
15 Leopardo, from Juan Bautista Bru de Ramón, Colección de
Láminas que Representan los Animales y Monstruos del
Real Gabinete de Historia Natural de Madrid (Madrid:
Imprenta de Andrés de Sotos, 1786), Vol. II, Plate 47,
© Patrimonio Nacional. 134
16 Cagouare or tamandua, from Félix de Azara, Voyages dans
l’Amérique Méridionale (Paris: Dentu, 1809), Plate VIII,
© Wellcome Library, London 135
17 Omeca machacuai, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. VI, Plate 60,
© Patrimonio Nacional 144
18 Chachapas, Trujillo del Perú, Vol. VI, Plate 27,
© Patrimonio Nacional 145
19 Don José Celestino Mutis studying the Mutisia and the
Canelo de Andaquies, by C.A. Machado, © Wellcome
Library, London 187
20 ‘Rétour à la ville des nègres chasseurs’, from Jean- Baptiste
Debret, Voyage Pittoresque et Historique au Brésil
(Paris, 1834– 39), © New York Public Library 196
[ viii ]
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my PhD supervisor, Professor Anthony
McFarlane, who has provided support and guidance throughout my
PhD, and my co-s upervisor, Dr Rebecca Earle, who offered many useful
insights and suggestions. I would also like to thank the many people
who offered valuable feedback on my work at various stages of its
evolution, particularly the participants in the 2009 Atlantic Seminar
at Harvard University and the members of the Latin America Reading
Group at Warwick University, who were subjected to several chapter
drafts over the course of my PhD. The staff at Manchester University
Press were very supportive in helping me revise my book for publica-
tion, whilst the series editor, Professor John MacKenzie, also gave
much appreciated encouragement. I am grateful, too, to the AHRC
for funding my research project, to the Arthur Mellon Foundation,
which fi nanced research trips to Chicago and Boston, and to the staff
at the British Library, the Wellcome Library, the Biblioteca Nacional
de España and the Newberry Library, Chicago, who assisted me in the
course of my research. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank
my mum, who dutifully proofread several drafts of my book, my dad for
his invaluable technological assistance and Alice, Daisy and Jacqueline
Cowie for their moral support.
Note on translations
All translations are my own, unless otherwise stated.
[ ix ]
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