Darryl E. Brock
Explores how a US-led natural history survey of Puerto Rico served American Empire while yet catalyzing Boricua cultural nationalism
In Botanical Monroe Doctrine and American Empire, Darryl E. Brock examines the history, influence, and legacy of an ambitious effort to conduct a “physical and natural history survey of Porto [Puerto] Rico.” As founder of The New York Botanical Garden, Nathaniel Lord Britton advanced a botanical Monroe Doctrine that sought to counter British and European scientific influence in the Americas by establishing American authority over the naming and classification of species. Although initially aligned with imperial and “civilizing” aims, the Scientific Survey of Puerto Rico ultimately contributed to modernization, professionalization, and cultural preservation on the island. Its work in Taíno archaeology and jíbaro folklore helped lay the foundation for today’s Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and reinforced currents of Boricua cultural nationalism. The survey also intersected with broader political and economic developments, influencing areas from bilingual education to New Deal administration in Puerto Rico.
Sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences, the survey was conducted by The New York Botanical Garden in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History and the Yale Peabody Museum, with the final report issued in 1970. Puerto Rican scientists and intellectuals, including mycologist and future University of Puerto Rico chancellor Carlos Chardón, actively contributed to the project. Expanding to the Virgin Islands, the survey encompassed nearly two dozen expeditions, collected more than 10,000 plant specimens, and identified thirty-eight new species. Its nineteen published volumes remain among the most comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific studies of any tropical region. Brock’s groundbreaking work is essential reading for those interested in the history of science, Puerto Rico, and American empire.
