In 1827, the first President of Mexico, Guadalupe Victoria granted Humboldt Mexican citizenship[129] and in 1859, the President of Mexico, Benito Juárez, named Humboldt a hero of the nation (benemérito de la nación). Spanish America's ancient civilizations were a source of interest for Humboldt, who included images of Mexican manuscripts (or codices) and Inca ruins in his richly illustrated Vues des cordillères et monuments des peuples indigènes de l'Amerique (1810–1813), the most experimental of Humboldt's publications, since it does not have "a single ordering principle" but his opinions and contentions based on observation. [29], Humboldt graduated from the Freiberg School of Mines in 1792 and was appointed to a Prussian government position in the Department of Mines as an inspector in Bayreuth and the Fichtel mountains. [15] In 1766, Alexander Georg married Maria Elisabeth Colomb, a well-educated woman and widow of Baron Hollwede, with whom she had a son. Puis, quelques années plus tard, à 13 ans, il entrera dans un merveilleux magasin de magie, dont il ne ressortira pas indemne. There is not a consensus on the importance of Kosmos. [56], Two months later, they explored the territory of the Maypures and that of the then-recently extinct Aturès Indians. Le voyage aux régions equinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799–1804, par Alexandre de Humboldt et Aimé Bonpland (Paris, 1807, etc. Humboldt had long aimed to write a comprehensive work about geography and the natural sciences. This memorable expedition may be regarded as having laid the foundation of the sciences of physical geography, plant geography, and meteorology. TOUT est sujet à discussion en France ! Even before Humboldt and Bonpland started on their way to New Spain's capital on Mexico's central plateau, Humboldt realized the captain of the vessel that brought them to Acapulco had reckoned its location incorrectly. Benjamin Keen, "Alexander von Humboldt" in. [44] Humboldt and Bonpland met Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón y Jiménez of the royal expedition to Peru and Chile in person in Madrid and examined their botanical collections.[45]. [61], After their first stay in Cuba of three months, they returned to the mainland at Cartagena de Indias (now in Colombia), a major center of trade in northern South America. Accessed July 4, 2016. José de la Luz y Caballero wrote that "Columbus gave Europe a New World; Humboldt made it known in its physical, material, intellectual, and moral aspects". [154] The first translation by Augustin Pritchard—published anonymously by Mr. Baillière (volume I in 1845 and volume II in 1848)—suffered from being hurriedly made. The disjointed life I lead makes me hardly certain of my way of writing". [60] Humboldt and Bonpland stayed in Cuba until 5 March 1801, when they left for the mainland of northern South America again, arriving there on 30 March. It was a fold-out at the back of the publication. [225] Charles Darwin expressed his debt to Humboldt, and admiration for his work,[226] writing to Joseph Dalton Hooker that Humboldt was the "greatest scientific traveller who ever lived". [30] During his period as a mine inspector, Humboldt demonstrated his deep concern for the men laboring in the mines. These three translations were also published in the United States. [156], Alexander von Humboldt published prolifically throughout his life. Jefferson had only recently concluded the Louisiana Purchase, which now placed New Spain on the southwest border of the United States. Again in the autumn of 1822 he accompanied the same monarch to the Congress of Verona, proceeded thence with the royal party to Rome and Naples and returned to Paris in the spring of 1823. Godlewska, Anne, "From Enlightenment Vision to Modern Science? As with other aspects of his investigations, he developed methods to show his synthesized results visually, using the graphic method of geologic-cross sections. The Bourbon monarch was open to Humboldt's proposal. Et c’est à l’adolescence, le jeune homme va se révéler à lui-même. [110] He also surveyed the non-Indian population, categorized as Whites (Spaniards), Negroes, and castes (castas). Alexander lamented that he had lost half of himself with the death of his brother. He closely observed plant and animal species in situ, not just in isolation, noting all elements in relation to one other. "[146] The Russian emperor offered Humboldt an invitation to return to Russia, but Humboldt declined, due to his disapproval of Nicholas's restrictions on his freedom of movement during the expedition and his ability to freely report on it. [81] Humboldt ultimately viewed both the prehispanic realms of Mexico and Peru as despotic and barbaric. "Humboldt visto por los mexicanos" in Jorge A. Vivó Escoto, ed. Humboldt's Visual Thinking". [24][26] In England, he met Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society, who had traveled with Captain Cook; Banks showed Humboldt his huge herbarium, with specimens of the South Sea tropics. [70] Humboldt read the writings of Bishop-elect of the important diocese of Michoacan Manuel Abad y Queipo, a classical liberal, that were directed to the crown for the improvement of New Spain.