Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy

Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy was an 18th-century botanical artist and naturalist from New Spain who trained at the Royal Art Academy in Mexico City. The genus Echeveria was named in his honour by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle.

Royal Botanical Expedition

1787–1788 On August 4, 1787, the academy appointed Echeverría and classmate Juan de Dios Vicente de la Cerda to accompany Director Martín Sessé y Lacasta on an expedition. Echeverría was hired to sketch the nature and botanical life and elements on the excursion. This expedition required both students to go across the country to study and sketch the botanical nature of the world. Echeverría had only been 16 when he had been appointed. This expedition would last from August 1787 to the year 1788. The artists moved from base to base, exploring the Valley of Mexico and the surrounding mountains.

1789 In 1788 when the excursion ended, Echeverría and Cerda broke off from the group with zoologist José Longinos Martínez. The men remained in Mexicalzingo making dissections and sketches while the rest of the group went back to Mexico City. Freshly bloomed flowers meant that they were the perfect color and shape and the artists could get accurate date. Artists would sometimes pick the flowers and put them in a humid space to keep the flower alive long enough to finish any missing information.

Watercolor The botanists began using watercolor to complete their sketches. This was the perfect medium to use because of its fast drying abilities, which allowed them to get the drawings done at a fast rate.

Artworks

Collections

The Torner Collection of Sessé & Mociño Biological Illustrations The Torner Collection of Sessé & Mociño Biological Illustrations is a collections of over 2,000 botanical and zoological illustrations made by Atanasio Echeverría y Gody, Juan de Dios Vicente de la Cerda, Jose Guio and Pedro Oliver. Plant Native Area Sun Exposure Perle Von Nurnberg Central America Full, Partial Echeveria nodulosa Central America Full, Partial Black Prince Central America Full, Partial Topsy Turvy Central America Full, Partial Dusty Rose Central America Full, Partial