In the era right after Columbus, most people who
traveled from Europe to the Americas had very specific agendas. They
wanted money, or power, or land. And those are the names we know—Cortes,
Pizarro, Cordoba; the ones who killed and stole and enslaved in order to
bring their home countries a slice of that New World pie.
By contrast, Francisco Hernandez's name may not ring any bells—but his contributions were just as important, and a lot less bloody. Hernandez was the first European scientist to visit the Americas. With the help of the Aztecs, Hernandez traveled through Mexico in the 1570s, describing and illustrating thousands of species previously unknown to Europe. Some credit him with introducing the continent to everything from corn to cocoa. He is, indisputably, one of the fathers of natural history.
By contrast, Francisco Hernandez's name may not ring any bells—but his contributions were just as important, and a lot less bloody. Hernandez was the first European scientist to visit the Americas. With the help of the Aztecs, Hernandez traveled through Mexico in the 1570s, describing and illustrating thousands of species previously unknown to Europe. Some credit him with introducing the continent to everything from corn to cocoa. He is, indisputably, one of the fathers of natural history.
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