Between the Summit and the Sea
Central Veracruz in the Nineteenth Century
For some time now, there has been a great deal of concernedreflection on the ways in which the tropical lowlands of the Americashave been perceived and exploited. This book addresses this concern. Itis also something of an appreciation of tropical lowlands, as theyemerge along one particular road, gathered from the accounts of earlynineteenth-century observers.
Aerial reconnaissance has shown that many wetlands in the lowlandswhich these travellers crossed are patterned with the remains ofprehispanic platforms and canals, an old and effective system for thecultivation of wetlands. These show particularly clearly in thepastures of modern ranches -- a very different land use, and yetperhaps governed by similar constraints. The pastures are dotted withpalms which eloquently indicate repeated burning and long use andscored by drainage ditches cut according to contemporary practice, thusgiving evidence of both ancient and modern use. The travellers'accounts throw light on this juxtaposition.
Early nineteenth-century visitors to Mexico usually entered thecountry at Veracruz and proceeded inland along the Jalapa road. Theirimpressions of the surrounding landscape have long been relied upon fora contemporary interpretation of this region. They produced a richliterature which reveals a great deal about what the European and NorthAmerican travellers thought about the tropics.
The reader is taken along the Veracruz-Jalapa road up to the summitof the pass and on to the central tableland and allowed to see thecoastal landscape take shape from the commentary, step by step --detailed and coloured by predisposition, the 'objective'landscape often aggrandized and misperceived. The accounts are notbenign; they are tinged with an evaluation of tropical lowlands thatunfortunately persisted and proved prejudicial to actual developmenthere and elsewhere.
In this book, Alfred Siemens brings together a wide array ofcommentary to coalesce as though it were a piece of landscape theatre,always with the recognition that the fascinating and at timesentertaining observations carry venom.
Awards
- 1992, Winner - Carl O. Sauer Distinguished Scholarship Award, Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers
A fine example of what a mature geographer, one writing in his intellectual prime, can produce. What we have before us, in range and imaginativeness, is a piece of work the author clearly enjoyed undertaking, an illustration of something geography is eminently capable of producing ... an especially innovative example of good geography, one that is alive, animated, and breathes with the wonder of curiosity and discovery.
This book should stimulate curiosity about the ancient agricultural remains, as well as encouraging visits to now safe and sanitary Veracruz and still felicitous Jalapa. One is tempted to imagine today's traveller, as heir to those that Siemens cites, recording similarly his or her impressions. and to ask how much they would differ from what was written a century ago.
The comparative analysis of so many travellers' accounts coming in roughly the same time period is where its strength lies. I can think of nothing comparable and it is made much more effective by the fact that the author himself knows the area so well ... It is original, comparative and has contemporary relevance.
Tables and Figures
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. The Travellers, the Lowlands, and the Times
2. Nearing the Coast
3. The Macabre Port
4. Guardian Dragon
5. "Hay que armarse para viajar"
6. Vegetable Drapery
7. Chaparral
8. Jarochos
9. Above the Oaks
10. Leaving Enchanted Ground
11. Round Unvarnished Tales?
References
Index
