Spanish Enlightenment Botanical Expeditions

The Enlightenment was anintellectual and cultural renewal movement that emerged in Europe in the middle of the 17th century and lasted until the first years of the 19th century. This movement was the origin of profound political and social changes and had a great influence on the development of sciences and culture. At this time in Spain,royal academies were founded, such as the Real Academia de la Lengua, Historia, Medicina and the National Museum of Natural Sciences (former Real Gabinete de Historia Natural) and the Royal Botanic Garden. It was also at this time that a great number of expeditions were carried out, many of them with scientific purposes. Physicians, naturalists, engineers, botanists, draughtsman and painters who had studied in art academies were members of these scientific expeditions. Botanical expeditions undertaken during the Spanish Enlightenment made a great contribution to the science and universal knowledge. Especially important were botanical expeditions carried out to explorethe flora (plants, trees, herbs...) of a particular region. New plants specimens were discovered and described for the very first time in these expeditions. Some of the most famous and important Spanish botanical expeditions from this time were the "Expedición Botánica a Perú y Chile (1777-1787)" and the "Expedición Botánica a Nueva Granada (1783-1813), which began under the reign of Carlos III; "Expedición Botánica a Filipinas (1786-1805)" and Expedición Botánica a Nueva España (1795-1804),both carried out under the reign of Carlos IV.