Patagonia: a Natural Sanctuary of Science at the turn of 19th century.

Abstract

This essay is about some ideas concerning Patagonia at the turn of 19th century. Among Argentinian and late Victorian naturalists, it was seen as possible the existence of a mammalian living fossil in the more southern part of South America. This "new" animal was presented as being as a natural entity by Florentino Ameghino. The essay states that this idea is somehow related with the perception of Patagonia as a space where history and time don't ever exist. On the other hand, the authority Ameghino deserved among several European and American zoologists and paleontologists could be seen as another factor in the acceptance of new species.