User:Rsilva08/Guillermo Dupaix

Guillermo Dupaix was a military captain in the late 18th and early 19th century and one of the first to undertake pioneering explorations in the lands of New Spain including visits to Palenque, Mitla, and other Pre-Columbian ruins. With the help of Charles IV of Spain, Dupaix was able to travel to New Spain on several different occasions. He documented his expeditions from 1805-1808 with elaborate illustrations drawn by Luciano Castañeda. His reports and the accompanying illustrations were published in the nine-volume Antiquities of Mexico sponsored by Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough.

Early Life

Guillermo Dupaix was born in Flanders, Belgium around 1748 to an aristocratic family as the son of a financier. At the age of seventeen, Dupaix decided to enlist in the Spanish military.

Military Life

Soon after Dupaix's enlistment he travelled to Spain where he later enrolled as a guard for Carlos IV. Several years later, Dupaix was promoted to Lieutenant in the regiment of the Dragoons of Almanza. During this time period, Dupaix had the opportunity to travel all along the Iberian Peninsula. In his journeys, Dupaix also travelled to Rome where he learned about ancient Greek ruins including the Paestum and Acropolis of Athens. Although continuing his military career, it was these trips that triggered an interest in archaeology in the young Dupaix.

Ten years after his promotion to Lieutenant, Dupaix graduated as a Captain. With an open position in the regiment of the Dragoons, Dupaix decided to transfer to New Spain. He arrived in Veracruz on February 4th 1791 and was apparently in awe of all the flowers and vegetation. Within the next decade, a severe negative report was released on Dupaix that described him as "of little use." He was denied promotion to Lieutenant Colonel while he simultaneously attempted to run for the position of governor of the Precinct of Carmen. Almost a decade later, Dupaix retired from the military. His record indicates that he had only a mediocre reputation. Thomas Ballestros explained that although he was a single man of noble quality, robust health, good conduct and certain bravery, he was of regular capacity and never seemed to apply himself.

Although he retired from the military amidst negative feedback, Dupaix discovered his true calling to a study of the antiquities in the country.

Contributions

While in Mexico, Dupaix travelled in awe of all the new and recent acquisitions of New Spain. Inspired by the beauty of the land, he began to draw (particularly with ink and carbon) many artifacts. He travelled around the Mexican states including Hidalgo (state), Puebla, Veracruz and many others, where he begun to collect artifacts for his own personal cabinet. He kept his most important archaeological monuments and recorded them them in what he called his "Descripcion de Monumentos Anitguos Mexicanos" or Description of Ancient Mexican Monuments.

In these documents, there are several descriptions and illustrations of the artifacts that Dupaix did himself. He acquired artifacts from a primarily Chinese neighborhood known as the "Alley of the Ladies."

A There are three species present in this photo: The feathers of a bird, the tail of a fish, and the body of a reptile; Symbolizing air, water, and earth.

Dupaix's drawings are currently housed at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City.

Explorations of 1805-1808

In 1805, Carlos IV of Spain put Dupaix in charge of an expedition that would take in 1808 with documentation in descriptions and elaborate drawings by Luciano Castañeda. Given his interest in antiquities, Lord Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough included the work of Dupaix and Castañeda in Antiquities of Mexico, which became a foundational book for the study of Mexico’s Pre-Columbian- and particularly Maya past.

Although Dupaix certainly found his calling, the negative stigma from his military records remained. His great contributions in documenting Palenque rehabilitated his non-military reputation.

Death and Legacy

Although the date of Dupaix's birth remains a mystery, he died in 1818. After his death, Fausto Elhuya attempted to finish what Dupaix had started. He gathered legal materials and found several drawings that had never appeared in either Antiquities of Mexico or Description of Ancient Mexican Monuments. In these drawings, Elhuya discovered 37 images of Mexico City, including 17 figures painted in ink and two drawings of the cathedral.