Exploración de la Patagonia sur I, my thoughts

Book in question.

This book was a gift from a coworker who was getting rid of stuff after spring cleaning. I was hoping for a bit more sea navigation stories, but there were enough mentions of Piedrabuena with his Santa Cruz, and FitzRoy with his Beagle to make me happy.

Nevertheless, I have no idea how high school kids (in Argentina, of course) aren’t reading a book like this. It combines history, geography, and natural science in equal parts. Not ashamed to say that I got a better understanding of my esteemed Patagonia’s topography from this book than I did from my geography classes. And I don’t know about you, but I think the contact between indigenous peoples and the white man is one of the most interesting interactions to read about (when they are not heavily editorialized, at least).

I’ve traveled a lot along the eastern shore of Patagonia, and I believe anyone who has done so will laugh, marvel, and find comfort in the words of Moreno. It’s such an underrated landscape. I don’t blame anyone who prefers the mountains and trees of Bariloche, Esquel, or the views you get around Lago Fagnano. But beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. And when you stop in the goddamn middle of nothing, look around, and are able to appreciate an ecosystem that maybe not thrives, but survives, despite what little nature has given, I think that’s beauty.

There’s a second part of this book, originally called Viaje a la Patagonia Austral (Journey to Southern Patagonia), which supposedly expands on Moreno’s takes about the republic’s interests in what at the time were distant lands. I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually. Although it does feel odd dropping into the calm right before the storm, with the Conquest of the Desert taking place only a year after Moreno’s expedition. I’d be more interested in reading the buildup to the tension that Moreno had to navigate before diving into Roca’s infamous campaign.

What an interesting man, Moreno. It’s nothing but awe-inspiring to read about a 24-year-old with such passion for the pursuit of knowledge as to leave aside the comfort the elite class enjoyed in Buenos Aires to come to Patagonia, eat small game, sleep among matorrales under the rain, and hope not to get killed by a puma or a drunk indio. Truly a national hero.