ABSTRACT
Latin American intellectual life developed over a long period of time, and was shaped, almost exclusively, by European trends, traditions, and intellectual currents. By the mid-sixteenth century, the first university opened in the Americas, the Universidad de San Marcos, in Lima. by the mid-sixteenth century, the first university opened in the Americas, the Universidad de San Marcos, in Lima. The situation changed by the eighteenth century, when the Enlightenment hit Europe and the new research conducted at the great European universities arrived in America, despite the best efforts of the church to keep it out. The most important late eighteenth, early nineteenth century explorer, geographer, and scientist to visit America was Alexander von Humboldt. His stay in America lasted five years, from 1799 to 1804, and his maps, visits, lectures, and teachings were embraced by people throughout Latin America.
