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Peruvian scientists trace Humboldt’s footsteps through Páramo

09.10.2019

The Mountain Institute (TMI), in collaboration with the Lima Geographical Society and scholars at the Pontíficia Universidad Católica del Peru, sponsored and organized an expedition in northern Peru to retrace geographer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt’s 1802 route. This summer, an interdisciplinary team of mostly Peruvian scientists studied the remote region that was first visited by the legendary scientist and explorer, sometimes called the “second Columbus” and considered a cofounder of geography. The event was planned in light of the 250th anniversary of von Humboldt’s birth.

Jorge Recharte, director of TMI’s Andes Programme, explains why the group traced the scientist’s footsteps: “Humboldt’s way of seeing nature from a holistic perspective is most relevant to deal with the global transformation the earth is undergoing as a result of human footprint on the planet. His view was at once that of science, art and humanism. Humboldt’s curiosity and passion for measurement, awe in front of the beauty and power of nature, and libertarian spirit can inspire us all to seek more mature ways of relating to nature.”

This expedition connects to the institute’s work with mountain communities, livelihoods, culture and conservation in Peru’s Páramo region, which they have been doing since 2006. The journey was part of an effort to draw attention to the Andes-Amazonian region - one of the world’s biological and archaeological hotspots – which is currently impoverished, underserved and under severe environmental stress.

The scientists traced a 500 km segment of von Humboldt’s journey. The team of explorers were led by Recharte and Sandra Nichols, a cultural geographer and TMI Senior Fellow. The expedition took the team through the Andean highlands and the Amazonian slopes.

They traversed complex Andean topography and multiple watersheds, locating and studying places von Humboldt described in his writings, and drawing comparisons between what Humboldt saw in 1802 and what we find today. They visited an Andean settlement that, during von Humboldt’s time, was a colonial hacienda. Today, the local community is working to protect and preserve new-to-science medicinal plants that are native to the area.

Recent archaeological excavations are yielding evidence that this region was once home to a complex mosaic of cultures that occupied multiple ecological niches, and developed trans-Andean exchange routes that date back more than 5 000 years. TMI’s expedition is the first to integrate recent biological and archaeological findings.

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Photo from ©Erin Gleeson/TMI