Chile en el cosmos de Humboldt. Conocimiento y saber local para la ciencia universal

Abstract

In the context of the cultural history of science, in particular the machinery for production and movement of knowledge, practice, and application of knowledge, references to Chile and Southern America in the works of Alexander von Hum-boldt are identified and examined. Our purpose is to discover how he described and characterized this region, what he did with the information he gathered about it, and -an essential point- identify his sources of information. How he came by the background material he collected concerning this portion of America, who supplied it, when and where he found it. All capital questions when it comes to explaining how scientific knowledge came to life and information was conveyed in the 19 th century from distant areas, such as South America, to the focal points of world knowledge where Humboldt acted