LA SEGUNDA MISIÓN GEODÉSICA FRANCESA EN ECUADOR: ¿QUÉ FUENTES HAY EN LOS ARCHIVOS NACIONALES DE FRANCIA?

Abstract

The French National Archives keep an extensive file relative to the second French geodetic mission in Ecuador, which is held in the fund of the Division of Sciences and Letters of the Ministry of Public Instruction. These files make it possible to accurately docu- ment the way in which this mission was conceived and carried out, its origins, the geopolitical and diplomatic context in which it was carried out, its administrative organization, its financial difficulties and its resolution to fulfill the mission and publish the results. These documents, which consist mainly of notes: reports, correspondence and official documents, also sometimes mention; misunderstandings and obstacles on the ground, but evidently in a rather subdued and detached way. Therefore, it would be necessary to consult other types of sources (field notebooks, letters or reports written by the members of the expedition, photographs, drawings, etc.) to have a wider typological range of documents and thus obtain a global vi- sion. and live on this expedition.