Naturaleza, paisaje y memoria. Alturas y ciudades del Reino de Quito en la experiencia viajera del siglo XVIII

Abstract

In the middle of the 18th Century, the Andean highlands of the Kingdom of Quito were visited by naturalists and missionaires in much the same way as the urban centers of the territory. This article explores how some of these travellers perceived, constructed and remembered landscape from two distinct points of veiw. After explaining the categories and methods used, the article explores two ways in which nature is perceived and recorded: naturalism and the supernatural. Finally, the article examines the urban landscape in whose written construction old ideas of the colonial order combined with the image of terrestrial prosperity as it was correlated to scientific interests which drove the exploration of highlands and volcanoes.