Travels in Bolivia

The narrator of this travelogue is L. Hugh De Bonelli. I chose to analyze the second chapter of this account which depicts Bonelli’s travel from the Rio Charge to Panama City.¹ Our author writes his name as “L. Hugh De Bonelli of her Britannic Majesties Legation”, which tells us he is, most likely, a White British male who is a servant of the queen and likely a supporter of colonialism.² This travelogue was written in 1854 just after the slaves were freed in Panama, about thirty years after independence from Spain, and half a century before Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903.³ Bonelli appears to be an unreliable narrator throughout the chapter; he has many personal biases which feed into his writing and skew his perspectives.

The Panama that Bonelli depicts is covered in lush rainforests where the appearance of cultivated land is rare, and the sight of a cabin is even rarer. Bonelli does a wonderful job of encapsulating the beauty and untarnished landscape of pre-industrial Panama. Sadly, this is not the focus of this travelogue. Most of the narrative observes his travels to Panama City, with a strong emphasis and focus on the people he meets. The way he describes the native inhabitants versus more European individuals is a stark dichotomy. Early on, Bonelli travels through not yet developed, native lands. Near the end of the chapter, he finds himself in Panama City, a mainly European-inhabited city. The way that he describes and accounts for these two environments is extremely Eurocentric. He describes traditional native huts as grotesque hovels, surrounded by filth.⁴ Whereas when he first reaches Panama City he writes, “reflected in all its loveliness, lay the graceful little peninsula on which stands the town of Panama”.⁵ This shows his bias and preference towards European / white individuals. Often he refers to natives as grotesque, and right when he steps off the boat, he describes them as “a population of blacks, Indians, and half-bred Choloes, who are brutal and uncivil in the extreme”.⁶ Previous to the former statement, he accounts many times that this is his first time in the new world. If this is indeed his first time in Panama then he clearly has a preconceived notion of not just Panama’s natives, but blacks, Indians, and assumedly any other race besides whites. This predetermined view destroys any chance of historically accurate writing on the natives or anyone in Panama for that matter. It also reflects European countries’ views on Latin American countries. This was a well-received travelogue at the time and was used by European citizens to get, what they believed to be, their first accurate depiction of the new world. Travelogues and misinformation like this helped breed foundational racism against non-whites which is still prevalent in the modern age.  

Panama during the 1850s was establishing itself as separate from Spain and becoming a member of the Confederation of Gran Colombia.⁷ This time was an extremely developmental period for Panama. After being a member of the Spanish empire for nearly 300 years, self-governance and reliance are new and difficult prospects.⁸ We must look at what was happing during this time and how that may have affected Bonelli’s perspective. Understand that during this period, empires, like the Spanish and English, were losing power. Countries were declaring independence and the once mighty empires started to dwindle. This caused confusion, fear, and unrest among the citizens of these empires, like Bonelli. These emotions were then pushed onto others, people different than them, as an attempt to maintain power. These racist comments and remarks are an attempt to remain a part of the once-mighty empire and make those who are different from you feel lesser. The shift and fall of colonialism caused intense emotions which in turn, breed racism. This helps explain why Bonelli’s writing is so Eurocentric and anti-American.

1. Bonelli, L. Hugh De. Travels in Bolivia: With a Tour across the Pampas to Buenos Aires …London: Hurst and Blackett, 1854. page 34.
2. Bonelli, 1
3. “A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Panama.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. Accessed January 31, 2023.
4. Bonelli, 34
5. Bonelli, 50.
6. Bonelli, 35
7. The South American Revolutions: Gran Colombia.” Saylor Academy. Accessed January 31, 2023.
8. 8. O’Laughlin, Peyton. “Panamanian Independence & Political Intervention by the United States.” COW Latin America, May 4, 2020.

Sources:

“A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Panama.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://history.state.gov/countries/panama.

Bonelli, L. Hugh De. Travels in Bolivia: With a Tour across the Pampas to Buenos Aires… London: Hurst and Blackett, 1854. https://archive.org/details/travelsinbolivia18541debo/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater.

O’Laughlin, Peyton. “Panamanian Independence & Political Intervention by the United States.” COW Latin America, May 4, 2020. https://cowlatinamerica.voices.wooster.edu/2020/05/04/panamanian-independence-political-intervention-by-the-united-states/.

“The South American Revolutions: Gran Colombia.” Saylor Academy. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://learn.saylor.org/mod/book/view.php?id=54797&chapterid=40355.