The Science of Useful Nature in Central America : Landscapes, Networks and Practical Enlightenment, 1784–1838

"In this ambitious new study, Sophie Brockmann argues that interactions with landscape and environment were central to the construction of Central American identities in the Age of Enlightenment. She argues that new intellectual connections and novel ways of understanding landscapes had a transformative impact on political culture, as patriotic reformers sought to improve the region's fortunes by applying scientific and 'useful' knowledge gathered from local and global networks to the land. These reformers established networks that extended into the countryside and far beyond Central America's borders. Tracing these networks and following the bureaucrats, priests, labourers, merchants and scholars within them, Brockmann shows how they made a lasting impact by defining a new place for the natural world in narratives of nation and progress"-- "The Kingdom of Guatemala in the late eighteenth century was a paradox. It was simultaneously rich and poor, according to its colonial administrators, priests, merchants, and ordinary residents. It was a 'kingdom of vast extension' that should by all accounts be a wealthy province within the Spanish empire, as puzzled observers noted. As the Spanish administrative region spanning modern-day Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, it had great natural advantages, from being a place where 'the most exquisite fruits of all climes grow in abundance' to possessing harbours on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Indeed, it might well be 'the best of all the King's possessions'. Yet, as a contributor to Guatemala's newspaper remarked in 1803, 'this kingdom, which should be one of the most prosperous, is one of the most miserable ones in America.' How to square these contradictions, and help fulfill the true potential of the region, was the mission of a group of reformers who came together in patriotic associations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They believed that geographical, climatic, botanical, agricultural, and demographic knowledge held the key to 'enlightened' progress. True patriots would not just be content with gathering such knowledge. Instead, theirs was a practical Enlightenment that would offer prosperity by applying scientific knowledge to the management of landscapes. As this book argues, Central American reformers found the meaning of a homeland not in abstract ideas of idealised national landscapes, but in experiential engagement with them"-- Provided by publisher "The Kingdom of Guatemala in the late eighteenth century was a paradox. It was simultaneously rich and poor, according to its colonial administrators, priests, merchants, and ordinary residents. It was a 'kingdom of vast extension' that should by all accounts be a wealthy province within the Spanish empire, as puzzled observers noted. As the Spanish administrative region spanning modern-day Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, it had great natural advantages, from being a place where 'the most exquisite fruits of all climes grow in abundance' to possessing harbours on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Indeed, it might well be 'the best of all the King's possessions'.1 Yet, as a contributor to Guatemala's newspaper remarked in 1803, 'this kingdom, which should be one of the most prosperous, is one of the most miserable ones in America.' How to square these contradictions, and help fulfil the true potential of the region, was the mission of a group of reformers who came together in patriotic associations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They believed that geographical, climatic, botanical, agricultural, and demographic knowledge held the key to 'enlightened' progress. True patriots would not just be content with gathering such knowledge. Instead, theirs was a practical Enlightenment that would offer prosperity by applying scientific knowledge to the management of landscapes. As this book argues, Central American reformers found the meaning of a homeland not in abstract ideas of idealised national landscapes, but in experiential engagement with them"-- Provided by publisher Cover Half-title page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Notes on Translations and Names List of Abbreviations and Acronyms Introduction: A Kingdom of Vast Extension 1 Landscape, Ruins, and Governance 2 Networks of Knowledge and Action 3 Making Enlightenment Local 4 Useful Geography in Practice 5 Transforming Environments 6 Independence and Useful Nature Conclusions Glossary of Colonial Administrative Terms Bibliography Index Machine generated contents note: Introduction. A kingdom of vast extension; 1. Landscape, ruins, and governance; 2. Networks of knowledge and action; 3. Making enlightenment local; 4. Useful geography in practice; 5. Transforming environments; 6. Independence and useful nature; Conclusions; Glossary of Colonial administrative terms; Bibliography; Index