Viaje a las tres fronteras. Félix de Azara en el Río de la Plata (1782-1801)
Bilbao: Libros del Jata, 2021. First Edition. Paperback. 251p., bibl., indices, wrps. New. Item #78413
ISBN: 9788416443147
José Luis Tellería narrates in this book a journey through the old viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in the footsteps of Félix de Azara (1746-1821), who was sent to that southern territory to establish the colonial borders of Spain and Portugal. During his long stay in that land (today Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), this restless character dedicated himself, among many other activities, to the study of vegetation and fauna. He also left numerous writings with which today it is possible to know his laborious journey to his destination in Asunción (Paraguay) as well as his incursions through the Jesuit Missions, the Iberá lagoon or the Pampas. This trip with Azara allows you to compare the natural landscape and fauna of the 18th century with its current state of conservation, as well as to discover the ancient impact of livestock, deforestation and hunting on the biodiversity of the former viceroyalty. The book also relates the discovery of numerous species of birds and mammals, as well as his ideas on the distribution and evolution of living beings in a period in which their immutability began to be questioned. Azara moved on the unknown side of three borders (political, natural and scientific) in which he had to fight hard against isolation and oblivion.
Price: $49.90