José Mariano Mociño y Lozada Naturalista Novohispano del Siglo de las Luces

Abstract

The 18th century was key to the development of the science and the knowledge of the natural world in New Spain. Natural history and botany played prominent roles among the new scientific disciplines owing to the great interest and intense activity of the intellectuals of New Spain, the vast knowledge that Mesoamerican indigenous people had of their plants and landscapes, and the Royal Botanical Expedition to New Spain. Jose Mariano Mocino y Lozada is one of the most outstanding Mexican scientists and naturalists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His personality reflects the influence of those who vindicate indigenous knowledge, as well as the influence of the boom of science in Europe of that time. Indefatigable collector, Mocino identified a large number of plant species using the method of Linnaeus. He made headway in the natural history of temperate and tropical regions, and paid special attention to the relationship between indigenous cultures and their environments. Mocino was convinced that Mexican science should take into account the knowledge Mesoamericans had about nature and rigorously apply the scientific method to it. He always defended experimental research as basic to the rational use of natural resources.