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The Mexican Empire of Maximilian of Hapsburg
ossenbaCh — Orchids and orchidology in Central America
“The government of the republic will fulfill
its duty to defend its independence, to repel
foreign aggression, and accept the struggle to
which it has been provoked, counting on the
unanimous spirit of the Mexicans and on the
fact that sooner or later the cause of rights
and justice will triumph”.
Benito Juárez, President of México, 1862
In 1859, a group of Mexican conservatives
approached Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph,
Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and
Bohemia (1832-1867), offering him the throne of
Mexico. Although he initially refused, the French
occupation of the Mexican capital and the pressures
of Napoleon III convinced him, and he was crowned
as the Emperor of Mexico in 1864. A passionate
lover of nature, he organized during his short reign
a scientific commission that was sent out to explore
the flora and fauna of Mexico. Among the members
of this commission Eugene Bourgeau (1813-1877) 30
had a prominent place. He prepared extensive
collections of plants that are today at the Natural
History Museum of Paris. Among his specimens are
numerous species of Orchidaceae, some of which
were new to science: Bletia greenmaniana L. O.
Wms. (Bourgeau 2812), Epidendrum bourgeavii
Schltr. (Bourgeau 3104), Malaxis lepidota (Finet)
Ames (Bourgeau 3008), and Pleurothallis bourgeaui
Kraenzl. (Bourgeau 2469).
Pierre Marie Arthur Morelet (1809-1892) was a
French naturalist, born in Lays. Morelet had been
a member of the commission to Algeria (1841),
mainly as a natural artist, drawing any natural
findings. He took particular interest in mollusks,
which he published many works on, particularly
the species of Africa. Morelet was appointed as a
corresponding member of the Mexican scientific
commission, mainly because he had traveled
between 1846 and 1848 through southeastern
Mexico and Guatemala. After visiting Yucatan,
Morelet came into Guatemala through the Mexican
state of Tabasco and following the course of the
Usumacinta River. He traveled through Petén
107
and all the way to the highlands of Cobán. After
visiting the capital of Guatemala he returned to
Europe. Morelet wrote an interesting account of his
travels (Morelet, 1876), with beautiful illustrations
and several references about orchids. Traveling
with his companion, the faithful seaman Morin,
Morelet wonders in the neighborhood of Palenque
about “onion-shaped plants” which cover the tree
trunks and delights in the aroma of Vanilla. In
Dolores he notes the “myriads of parasites” in the
shadow of the forests, among which he mentions
an orchid species [Stanhopea sp.] white as a lily
and with a strong benzene aroma which attracts
swarms of butterflies of the most beautiful species.
In Lanquin, were he was the guest of the local
priest, he finds again Vanilla which he became as
a gift and which he finds commonly in cultivation
and sees again in Cobán (Morelet, 1876: 194, 222,
284). As a tribute by Gabriel Bibron and Auguste
Duméril, Morelet had a species of crocodile named
after himself: Morelet’s Crocodile or, Crocodylus
moreletii Bibron & Duméril. Morelet had found
this crocodile in the swamps of Yucatan. Morelet
died of natural causes in 1892, in Dijon.
Ludwig Hahn (?-1873) lived in Mexico from
1855 and years later formed part of the scientific
expedition of which Bourgeau was part. Hahn was
a botanist, and his mission was to study Mexican
plants, collect them and send them to Europe. This he
did, but he fell in love with Mexico and never went
back. He changed his name from Ludwig to Luis and
became a Mexican citizen. He died in Mexico, we
believe, in 1873. Luis Hahn was not only a botanist
but an accomplished musician. He played the piano,
sang and composed. He wrote a series of pieces
for piano that he called ‘Recuerdos de México’ (=
‘Remembrances of Mexico’). Among his collections
are several orchids, such as Epidendrum equitans
Lindl., Epidendrum rigidum Jacq., and Habenaria
lactiflora A. Rich. & Gal.
After several years of fighting against French
occupation, the troops of Benito Juárez finally
captured Maximilian in Querétaro. On June 19,
1867, he died in front of a firing squad, at the side of
his generals Miramón and Mejía.
30 Bourgeau had previously been a botanical collector in Spain, North Africa and the Canary Islands.
LANKESTERIANA 9(1—2), August 2009. © Universidad de Costa Rica, 2009.