Darwin's Voyage

In 1831, naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin arrived in Brazil in 1832, and began documenting the enormous biodiversity of the rainforest of Rio de Janeiro province. In his diary, he mentions parasite plants like the lianas and bromeliads that hang from trees. After observing the differences between mockingbirds on the Galapagos Islands and elsewhere in Latin America, the scientist began to develop his Theory of Evolution. His work would change the way most people think about nature and the origins of humans. Now two hundred years after his birth, a great-great-grandson of Darwin is retracing his steps in Brazil. The expedition organized by Rio's Federal University visited twelve municipalities in Rio de Janeiro state, inaugurating signs along the path of Darwin's voyage. At one of the first stops, visitors were treated to a performance of capoeira, a combination of dance and martial-art-style fighting. On many occasions, Darwin writes about the cruelties of slavery, which was only abolished in Brazil in 1888.