Translated by Richard Evans Schultes and Maria Jose Nemry von Thenen de Jaramillo-Arango
Transcribed from the original manuscripts by Jaime Jaramillo-Arango
Ruiz, the first botanical explorer of South America, spent 11 years visiting the towns, villages, fields, forests and mountains of Peru and Chile. This first complete English translation is by Richard Evans Schultes, the premier modern ethno-botanical explorer of South America, and Maria Jose Nemry von Thenen de Jaramillo-Arango. About 2,000 plants are mentioned, and Ruiz's firsthand view of South American life in the 18th century is detailed, personal and humourous.