Jean-Louis Berlandier (1803 – 1851) was a French-Mexican naturalist, physician, and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

Early life

Berlandier was born in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, and later trained as a

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

there. During this time he probably served an

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

ship to a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

Career

In his early 20s on the recommendation of his mentor, Auguste Pyrame De Candolle, he joined a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

scientific expedition as a

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and plant specialist. Berlandier arrived at Pánuco, in the

Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, in December 1826. He collected plants in the surrounding area before continuing into Texas as part of the Mexican Boundary Commission. The commission left Mexico City on November 10, 1827, under the command of

Manuel de Mier y Terán José Manuel Rafael Simeón de Mier y Terán (February 18, 1789 — July 3, 1832), generally known as Manuel de Mier y Terán, was a noted military and political figure during the Mexican War of Independence and during the era of the First Repu ...

. Berlandier made botanical collections around

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

, in February 1828 and around

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Gonzales Gonzales may refer to: Places * Gonzales, California, U.S. * Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. * Gonzales, Texas, U.S. * Gonzales County, Texas Other uses * Battle of Gonzales, 1835 * Gonzales (horse) (1977 – after 1996), an American-bred Thoroughbred ...

, and San Felipe in March, April, and May 1828. After a brief trip to the interior of the country after he contacted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, he returned to San Antonio. He collected botanical specimens, made notes on animal species, and collected information on over forty Native American tribes in the surrounding territory, with special emphasis on the

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

. In the fall of 1828, with a group of 30 Mexican soldiers led by Colonel José Francisco Ruiz, Berlandier accompanied Comanche leaders Reyuna and

El Ronca EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

on a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

and

American Bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the ...

hunt on open lands northwest of San Antonio. From November 19 to December 18, Berlandier accompanied Ruiz to explore the

silver mines Silver mining is the resource extraction, extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metri ...

on the

San Saba River The San Saba River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is an undeveloped and scenic waterway located on the northern boundary of the Edwards Plateau. Course The river begins in two primary branches. The North Valley Prong runs east throu ...

. On February 3, 1829, he also joined a force led by

Antonio Elosúa Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

to put down an uprising against the

presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...

commander at

Goliad Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...

.Hartmann, CP
"Berlandier, Jean Louis"
The Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Assn. Downloaded 09/07/2015. After the commission was dissolved in November 1829, Berlandier settled in

Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Br ...

, and became a physician. He made additional botanical and animal collecting trips in Texas and other parts of Mexico, including returning to Goliad in 1834. Berlandier compiled detailed information on the expeditions, including catalogues of plants, animals and Native American groups. This information is among the earliest ethnological studies of the tribes of the southern plains. One of his original manuscripts, dated 1834, is currently held by the

Gilcrease Museum Gilcrease Museum, also known as the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, is a museum northwest of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma housing the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West, as well as a gro ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Berlandier served as a captain,

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, and aide-de-camp in Mexico's Army of the North at the outbreak of

hostilities War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between the United States and Mexico in the spring of 1846, under the command of General (later President)

Mariano Arista José Mariano Arista (26 July 1802 – 7 August 1855) was a Mexican soldier and politician. He was in command of the Mexican forces at the opening battles of the Mexican American War: the Battle of Palo Alto and the Battle of Resaca de la Pal ...

. Captain Berlandier drew the first sketch maps of the

battle of Palo Alto The Battle of Palo Alto ( es, Batalla de Palo Alto) was the first major battle of the Mexican–American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas. A force of som ...

(May 8, 1846), which now reside in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. Berlandier's extensive knowledge of the region of south Texas and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

, garnered from his field explorations to collect botanical specimens, was invaluable to General Arista. After the

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

ended the fighting in February 1848, Berlandier was asked in 1850 to take part in the International Boundary Commission to define the border between Mexico and the United States. During the Mexican War he was placed in charge of the hospitals in Matamoros and served as an interpreter. In 1851 Berlandier drowned in the San Fernando River near Matamoros.

Publications

* Berlandier, Jean-Louis. "Grossulariaciae," (an article on the gooseberry), ::* published in the "Mémoires of the Society of Natural History of Geneva"; 1824. ::* included in Auguste Pyrame DeCandolle's "Prodromus", a book on the plants of the world, 1826. * Berlandier, Jean-Louis and Chovell, Rafael. "Diario de viaje de la Comisión de Límites." 1850. * Berlandier, Jean-Louis (translated by Sheila M. Ohlendorf et al.) "Journey to Mexico during the Years 1826 to 1834. (in two volumes)." Texas State Historical Association, Austin, Texas, 1980. * Berlandier, Jean-Louis (translated by Frank Mares) "Itinerario: Campaña de Palo Alto y Resaca de Guerrero." Yale University:Western America Collection MS S-310, 1846. * Berlandier, Jean-Louis "Journal of Jean Louis Berlandier during 1846–1847, Including the Time When He Was Driven from Matamoros by the Americans." Thomas Phillips Collection, MS 15512 (Berlandier), Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Copy on file at the Arnulfo L. Oliveira Library, University of Texas at Brownsville.

Manuscripts

Berlandier's manuscripts contain the only existing records of some languages of the

Lower Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...

, including Mamulique and Garza.Goddard, Ives. (1979). The languages of south Texas and the lower Rio Grande. In L. Campbell & M. Mithun (Eds.) ''The languages of native America'' (pp. 355–389). Austin: University of Texas Press. * Berlandier, Jean L.; & Chowell, Rafael (1828–1829). ocabularies of languages of south Texas and the lower Rio Grande (Additional manuscripts, no. 38720, in the British Library, London.) * Berlandier, Jean L.; & Chowell, Rafael (1850). Luis Berlandier and Rafael Chovell. ''Diario de viage de la Commission de Limites''. Mexico.

Associated eponyms

References

External links

* Jean Louis Berlandier Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlandier, Jean-Louis 1851 deaths French naturalists French anthropologists 1803 births Mexican scientists Scientists from Geneva French emigrants to Mexico