L'Ornoque et le Caura Relation de Voyages Executes en 1886 et 1887 [Paperback]

The nineteenth-century French anthropologist Jean Chaffanjon vividly describes Venezuela's Orinoco Delta, its geology and peoples in this 1889 book.The French anthropologist Jean Chaffanjon was the first Western explorer for nearly 100 years to visit the Orinoco region of Venezuela. This account of his journey in 18861887 records his geological observations and his encounters with the indigenous peoples. Published in 1889, it inspired Jules Vernes Le Superbe Or?noque.The French anthropologist Jean Chaffanjon was the first Western explorer for nearly 100 years to visit the Orinoco region of Venezuela. This account of his journey in 18861887 records his geological observations and his encounters with the indigenous peoples. Published in 1889, it inspired Jules Vernes Le Superbe Or?noque.Jean Chaffanjon (18541913) was a natural history teacher in the French colony of Martinique who was commissioned by the French minister of state education and fine arts to explore the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela. The Orinoco had an almost mythical reputation as a source of gold and coffee, and Chaffanjon in 18861887 was the first European explorer in the region in almost 100 years. Landing in the city of Guayra, he travelled up two of the continent's largest rivers, the Caura and the Orinoco, documenting the region's geology and his encounters with the indigenous population. His account of the journey was published in Paris in 1889, at a time when adventure literature was hugely popular in Europe. The book includes 56 engravings and two maps drawn by the French travel and nature artist Auguste Morisot. Chaffanjon's adventures were the direct inspiration for Jules Verne's Le Superbe Or?noque.Part I. Voyage sur le Caura: 1. But du voyage; 2. Caract?res anthropologiques des Guaraunos; 3. Le Macareo; 4. Une excursion dans la montagne; 5. Moitaco; 6. Santa Cruz; 7. Les savanes de Caicara; 8. D?part de San Pedro; 9. De las Bonitas ? Caicara; Part II. Voyage aux sources de l'Or?noque: 1lG