Valdivian harbor front While surveying in Neltume, we found the question surrounding the importance of naturaleza to solicit answers of the environment as the “pulmón de oxígeno para el mundo” and “sin vida natural, no tiene nada.” The community resoundingly valued the surrounding land and the same held true once we arrived in Valdivia. Described with every word from wondrous to dangerous to awe-inspiring to ominous, the perception of nature has transformed and evolved, with such an evolution accredited to prominent naturalists. Names of Humboldt, Darwin, and in the present day Tompkins, fill the pages of documents of famous South American conservationists and writers. But in venturing to Valdivia, a new name crossed our paths– Rudolph Amandus Philippi. And as one could say we are mildly ambitious travelers eager to cover as much as possible, we used every spare second to take in the sights. So when we arrived in Valdivia, there was a long list of museums to check off the list and sights to meander about. Alongside the river, an aroma of fresh fish and baked goods filled the air. Sea lions, or lobos de marinos, lined the market walls, eagerly waiting for any spare fish to be thrown their way. Across the bridge, stood the Museo Historico y Antropologico and the Museo de la Exploración R.A. Philippi. Philippi was one of several scientists, including Charles Darwin, Mary Graham, and Claudio Gay, who starting in the early 19th century set out to explore Chile with scientific purposes. German scientist turned South American adventurer and naturalist, Philippi left Kassel to travel for over 135 days to reach the southern region of Chile. He wound up working in the Botanical Gardens and as a natural history professor at the University of Chile. Following this work, he traveled to the north end of Chile and conducted an exploration of the Atacama desert, cataloguing and publishing botany, ornithology, and mineralogy expedition notes. Quoted in the museum, he wrote, “I left the animals with my fellows and continued by foot. I walked along the railroad extension to Tierra amarilla, between orchards and houses. The air was imbued with an abundance of grapes, peaches, pears, pomegranates, and Floripondio flowers.” As we moved on from one museum to the next, we found ourselves amongst words of Neruda, a famous Chilean poet. Crafting a vision of the Chilean landscape, he writes “El follaje palpitante se due volando verde y vivo, cada wrote aprendió a volar, y el árbol se quedó desnudo, llorando en la alluvia de invierno.” In English, this translates to- “The throbbing foliage flew green and alive, every bud learned to fly, and the tree lay naked crying in the winter rain.” Mercado Municipal along Valdivian harbor DukeEngage Students listening to lecture by Marius Schaefer at Universidad Austral de Chile on Mass Balance of Mocho Glacier The next day, we took a group trip to the university within Valdivia to hear from a local glaciologist who specifically researched the mass balance and snow accumulation on top of our very own Volcan Mocho. DukeEngage group in Reserva Costera Valdiviana in front of Fitzroya cupressoides, or lahuán in Mapuche - four meters in diameter, 2,600 years old
Following a trip to the university, it was straight across the bay to the nearby coastal reserve of Valdivia to grab a glimpse of the Valdivian forests and towering trees that fill the reserve.
1 Comment
Melissa
7/15/2017 09:20:50 am
Can you summarize some of the findings/lessons from the professor?
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