By integrating historical paintings, old maps, plant collections and other elements, the biologist Eugenio Santiago Valentín collected three centuries of the history of botany in Puerto Rico, in his recently published book titled Borinquenian flora.
For the author, the book marks the closing of the exhibition “Flora Borinqueniana: three centuries of botanical illustrations”, presented last year in the art museums of the Río Piedras and Mayagüez campuses of the University of Puerto Rico. The text, published on August 29 by the conservation organization For Naturecollects the content of the exhibition and elaborates on the historical context.
In interview with The New DaySantiago Valentín affirmed that the publication of Borinquenian flora It is a way to “celebrate the flora” and “inspire those who fight for the conservation” of Puerto Rico’s natural heritage.
“(This book) is an invitation to continue studying the native flora in the future, understanding that it is a process that does not stop, that is even tedious, that takes a lot of time and a lot of knowledge”said.
Borinquenian flora highlights the works of six naturalists between the 18th and 20th centuries to present a broad overview of botany – the study of plants – in Puerto Rico. In addition to integrating plant samples and historical documentation, Santiago Valentín connected the paintings of Puerto Rican artists – such as Jose Campeche and Francisco Oller– in the curation of the work.
The section of the book that describes the contributions of naturalists Ana Roqué de Duprey and Frances Worth Hornein the 20th century, is the author’s favorite, because it shows the audience various facets of their careers. Overall, for Santiago Valentín, it was challenging and fascinating to combine different types of works in a single publication.
“For me, (publishing the book) was the culmination of a very big dream, which was to be able to share all these works on the history of botany in Puerto Rico that I have been working on for some time.”he said moved.
Santiago Valentín extended his gratitude to the researcher Marilyn Figueroa Riverathe designer Vanessa Colon Rodríguez and the editor Cristina Martínez Pedraza for his efforts to make his dream come true.
For his part, the president of Para la Naturaleza, Fernando Lloveras San Miguelcommented: “Flora Borinqueniana: three centuries of botanical illustrations” is part of a long tradition of cultural projects that emphasize the importance of conservation and make important pieces of our heritage accessible to the public.”
The public can purchase the book, in physical format, at Para La Naturaleza stores and, in digital format at this link. The project was possible thanks to the contribution of National Endowment for the Humanitiesin collaboration with the Botany Institute of Para la Naturaleza.