Isabel Godin des Odonais

Isabel Godin of Odonais born Graméson (* 1728 in Riobamba, Viceroyalty of Peru, those of the present Ecuador, † September 28, 1792 Département Cher, France) was known for her grueling and dangerous journey through the Amazon region in the 18th century, in which they have a search expedition led to rediscover her husband Jean Godin. Your trip is regarded as unique in the history of South America. Before she managed to find her husband after 20 years of separation, she put almost 5000 km distance on their way back, they led by West Peru through the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Basin to the mouth of the Amazon.

Origin and history

Childhood and youth

The birthplace of Isabel Godin was Riobamba, a Spanish colonial city in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Her father was the administrative officer Don Perdro Graméson y Bruno. Isabel learned a good education and learning in addition to the indigenous Quechua and Spanish fluently speak French.

Marriage to Jean Godin

During his stay in Riobamba, the trip by a French expedition cartographer Jean Godin fell in love with the 13 -year-old Isabela. Despite concerns her father, she came to the marriage on December 27 in 1741. Isabel was pregnant.

Jean Godin's journey to French Guyana and separation

Jean stayed first with his pregnant wife, to await the birth of their son Joachim, instead to join the expedition Charles Marie de la Condamine to perform Messungenen at the equator. But when he heard the news of the death of his father, he decided to return with his young family to France. First, however, he would travel alone to Cayenne, French Guyana, and make the necessary arrangements with the French authorities there. After his arrival in Cayenne Godin learned, however, that he would not be allowed in the Portuguese and Spanish territories of the return journey. Since he did not want to return to France without his family, Godin settled in French Guiana, trying to achieve the approval of his return in constant correspondence. After intercede La Condamine and changing political constellations of the Portuguese king Godin granted the return journey through the Amazon. Godin, however, did not join the 30-member crew, as he had previously written seditious writing about the Portuguese and now afraid of an act of revenge. The captain of the ship came without the Frenchmen still a long journey to get under his orders his wife.

Isabel's trip

Isabel began her famous voyage in 1769, 4 years after the Portuguese ship had made ​​the journey to bring Jean Godin's wife to French Guyana. Isabel broke up with a 42 -strong group, including relatives, servants, 31 Indians and three French. First, the Andes had to be crossed, which was identified by crew members as the most difficult section. The Wegstrapazen was complicated by the rampant smallpox epidemic in the local areas on, which made it difficult to replenish the stocks. Then the ride started downriver on the Amazon River in a canoe, but that soon proved to be insufficient. Therefore, the group built a camp while a small group drove by canoe to get food and other means of transport. The camp proved to be a death trap for many crew members, contaminating them in the jungle with infections and died. The returning vanguard found only in front of the bodies of those who remained in the camp and sent incorrectly referred to the news of Isabel's death at Isabel's father Don Pedro. Jean Godin also found out about it. Isabel but was saved by the Indians, after they had wandered about 9 days alone and disoriented in the jungle. The Indians helped her to regain his strength, and still arrive at the end of the ship that would take them to the end of their journey. The news of Isabel Godin's incredible journey had spread and she was welcomed by more and more people downstream.

Reunion with Jean Godin

On July 22, 1770 Isabel Godin and Jean met her husband after 20 years of separation in the city Oyapock near the border of French Guyana and Brazil again. The couple then lived in Cayenne before Isabel, her husband and her father began the trip to France in April 1773. There, Don Pedro died in 1780, Jean Godin died in March 1792 in Paris and Isabel on September 18, 1792 in the small town of Saint Amand in the central French department of Cher.

Role in the South American folklore

The grueling journey through the Andes Mountains and the wild Amazon region during the colonial period and the selfless commitment of the noble wife Isabel Godin on the search for the missing husband offered material for legend. The figure was stylized and stands symbolically for the unwavering love of a woman and the forces and determination that can mobilize this love.

• Robert Whitaker: The Mapmaker 's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon. Basic Books, New York 2004, ISBN 0-7382-0808-6.
• Celia Wakefield: Searching for Isabel Godin. Chicago Review Press, Chicago 1996, ISBN 1-55652-225-8.
• Larrie D. Ferreiro: Measure of the Earth: The Enlightenment Expedition did Reshaped Our World. Basic Books, New York 2011, ISBN 978-0-465-01723-2.