page_title: Alexander von Humboldt
section_title: New Spain (Mexico), 1803–1804
hierarchical_section_title: Alexander von Humboldt / Spanish American expedition, 1799–1804 / New Spain (Mexico), 1803–1804
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Stein der fünften Sonne (auch "Aztekenkalender" genannt): Der Stein wurde 1479 unter der Herrschaft des 6. Aztekenherrschers Axayacatl als Monument zu Ehren der Sonne sowie als Opferstein hergestellt. Aufgestellt war er im Haupttempel von Tenochtitlan. Nach der Zerstörung des Tempels durch die Spanier im Jahr 1520 wurde der Stein vergraben. Nach seiner Wiederauffindung im Jahr 1790 wurde er im Westturm der Kathedrale von Mexiko Stadt aufbewahrt und 1885 in das "Nationale Museum für Anthropologie und Geschichte" verbracht. English: Monolith of the Stone of the Sun, also named Aztec calendar stone (National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City). Español: Monolito de la Piedra del Sol, también llamado Calendario azteca (Museo nacional de Antropología e Historia, Ciudad de México). Français&#160;: Monolithe de la Pierre du soleil, également appelé Calendrier aztèque (Musée National d'Anthropologie et d'Histoire, Mexico). Pierre aztèque en basalte d'un diamètre de 3,6 m pesant 24 tonnes découverte au Mexique à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Português: Monolith da Pedra do Sol, também chamado de calendário asteca (Museu Nacional de Antropologia e História, Cidade do México). Русский: Монолит Камня Солнца, которого тоже звали ацтекского календаря (Национальный музей антропологии и истории, Мехико). 한국어: 네 개의 멸망한 세상과 중간의 지금의 세상을 보여주는 돌판. עברית: אבן השמש האצטקית המקורית המוצגת במוזיאון Italiano: Monolito della Pietra del Sole, così chiamato calendario azteco (Museo Nazionale di Antropologia e Storia, Città del Messico) Nederlands: Monoliet van de Steen van de Zon, zo genoemd Azteekse kalender (Nationaal Museum voor Antropologie en Geschiedenis, Mexico-stad) Suomi: Monoliitti Auringon kivi, niin nimeksi atsteekkien kalenteri (National Museum of antropologian ja historian, Mexico City) Norsk bokmål: Monolith of the Stone of the Sun, så kalt Aztec kalenderen (Nasjonalmuseet for antropologi og historie, Mexico City) Svenska: Monolit av sten i solen, så heter Aztec kalender (National Museum of Anthropology och historia, Mexico City) Română: Monolit din Piatra Soarelui, de asemenea, numit calendar Aztec (Muzeul National de Antropologie si Istorie, Mexico City) Bahasa Melayu: Monolith Batu Matahari, yang juga bernama kalendar Aztec (Muzium Antropologi dan Sejarah, Bandar Mexico) Polski: Monolit z Kamienia Słońca, również o nazwie kalendarz Azteków (Narodowe Muzeum Antropologii i Historii, Meksyk) 中文: México goân-pán ê Aztec Ji̍t-thaû Chio̍h
context_page_description: Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher, and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt. Humboldt's quantitative work on botanical geography laid the foundation for the field of biogeography. Humboldt's advocacy of long-term systematic geophysical measurement laid the foundation for modern geomagnetic and meteorological monitoring.
  Between 1799 and 1804, Humboldt travelled extensively in the Americas, exploring and describing them for the first time from a modern scientific point of view. His description of the journey was written up and published in an enormous set of volumes over 21 years. Humboldt was one of the first people to propose that the lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean were once joined.
  Humboldt resurrected the use of the word cosmos from the ancient Greek and assigned it to his multivolume treatise, Kosmos, in which he sought to unify diverse branches of scientific knowledge and culture. This important work also motivated a holistic perception of the universe as one interacting entity.
context_section_description: Humboldt and Bonpland had not intended to go to New Spain, but when they were unable to join a voyage to the Pacific, they left the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil and headed for Acapulco on Mexico's west coast. Even before Humboldt and Bonpland started on their way to New Spain's capital on Mexico's central plateau, Humboldt realized the captain of the vessel that brought them to Acapulco had reckoned its location incorrectly. Since Acapulco was the main west-coast port and the terminus of the Asian trade from the Spanish Philippines, having accurate maps of its location was extremely important. Humboldt set up his instruments, surveying the deep-water bay of Acapulco, to determine its longitude.
  Humboldt and Bonpland landed in Acapulco on 15 February 1803, and from there they went to Taxco, a silver-mining town in modern Guerrero. In April 1803, he visited Cuernavaca, Morelos. Impressed by its climate, he nicknamed the city the City of Eternal Spring. Humboldt and Bonpland arrived in Mexico City, having been officially welcomed via a letter from the king's representative in New Spain, Viceroy Don José de Iturrigaray. Humboldt was also given a special passport to travel throughout New Spain and letters of introduction to intendants, the highest officials in New Spain's administrative districts (intendancies). This official aid to Humboldt allowed him to have access to crown records, mines, landed estates, canals, and Mexican antiquities from the prehispanic era. Humboldt read the writings of Bishop-elect of the important diocese of Michoacan Manuel Abad y Queipo, a classical liberal, that were directed to the crown for the improvement of New Spain.
  They spent the year in the viceroyalty, traveling to different Mexican cities in the central plateau and the northern mining region. The first journey was from Acapulco to Mexico City, through what is now the Mexican state of Guerrero. The route was suitable only for mule train, and all along the way, Humboldt took measurements of elevation. When he left Mexico a year later in 1804, from the east coast port of Veracruz, he took a similar set of measures, which resulted in a chart in the Political Essay, the physical plan of Mexico with the dangers of the road from Acapulco to Mexico City, and from Mexico City to Veracruz. This visual depiction of elevation was part of Humboldt's general insistence that the data he collected be presented in a way more easily understood than statistical charts. A great deal of his success in gaining a more general readership for his works was his understanding that "anything that has to do with extent or quantity can be represented geometrically. Statistical projections [charts and graphs], which speak to the senses without tiring the intellect have the advantage of bringing attention to a large number of important facts".
  Humboldt was impressed with Mexico City, which at the time was the largest city in the Americas, and one that could be counted as modern. He declared "no city of the new continent, without even excepting those of the United States, can display such great and solid scientific establishments as the capital of Mexico". He pointed to the Royal College of Mines, the Royal Botanical Garden and the Royal Academy of San Carlos as exemplars of a metropolitan capital in touch with the latest developments on the continent and insisting on its modernity. He also recognized important creole savants in Mexico, including José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, who died in 1799, just before Humboldt's visit; Miguel Velásquez de León; and Antonio de León y Gama.
  Humboldt spent time at the Valenciana silver mine in Guanajuato, central New Spain, at the time the most important in the Spanish empire. The bicentennial of his visit in Guanajuato was celebrated with a conference at the University of Guanajuato, with Mexican academics highlighting various aspects of his impact on the city. Humboldt could have simply examined the geology of the fabulously rich mine, but he took the opportunity to study the entire mining complex as well as analyze mining stati
caption: Aztec calendar stone
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