by KIKE CALVO
What a new book reveals about exploration, museums, and intelligence during World War I
Exploration is often remembered through adventure stories, scientific discoveries, and museum collections.
But history is rarely that simple.
A fascinating new book by historian Roberta Marx Delson explores a lesser-known chapter of exploration history: the moment when scientific expeditions in Latin America became deeply entangled with politics, diplomacy, and wartime intelligence.
The book, Scientists or Spies? The American Museum of Natural History in World War I Latin America, examines how researchers connected to the American Museum of Natural History operated during the years surrounding World War I—and how the boundaries between science and geopolitics often became blurred.
More Than Science
During the early twentieth century, scientific expeditions were transforming the way museums understood the natural world.
Researchers traveled through remote forests, mountains, rivers, and coastlines collecting:
- birds
- mammals
- insects
- cultural artifacts
- ethnographic observations
These expeditions helped shape many of the museum collections we still see today.
But Delson’s research reveals that some expeditions also served another purpose:
👉 gathering strategic information during a period of global political tension.
The American Museum of Natural History and Latin America
The book focuses on the activities of the American Museum of Natural History in Latin America and the Caribbean between roughly 1910 and 1919.
At the time, the museum was heavily involved in scientific exploration across the region.
Field researchers traveled extensively through:
- South America
- Central America
- the Caribbean
Documenting biodiversity, geography, and local cultures.
However, during World War I, these scientific networks became increasingly valuable to the United States government.
Scientists who already had:
- regional knowledge
- transportation access
- local contacts
- experience navigating remote areas
were suddenly seen as useful sources of intelligence.
Scientists, Diplomacy, and Intelligence
One of the book’s central themes is the complicated overlap between:
- science
- diplomacy
- exploration
- intelligence gathering
Delson examines figures connected to the museum who moved between these worlds, sometimes simultaneously acting as researchers, collectors, cultural intermediaries, and informal intelligence agents.
The book also explores the idea of scientific Pan-Americanism—the belief that scientific collaboration across the Americas could strengthen political and diplomatic relationships.
This was particularly important during World War I, when global alliances and regional influence were rapidly shifting.
The Myth of Neutral Exploration
Perhaps one of the most important ideas in the book is that exploration is rarely neutral.
Expeditions often carry multiple layers of purpose:
- scientific curiosity
- national interests
- economic ambitions
- cultural influence
This does not diminish the value of scientific work—but it complicates the story.
The image of the explorer as a purely objective observer becomes harder to sustain when research, politics, and power intersect.
Why This Matters Today
Although the book focuses on events more than a century ago, its themes remain remarkably relevant.
Today, conversations continue around:
- who controls scientific knowledge
- the ethics of collecting and extraction
- representation of indigenous cultures
- the relationship between research and political power
Modern exploration still raises questions about access, ownership, and responsibility.
Exploration Beyond Adventure
For travelers, photographers, and storytellers, Delson’s work offers an important reminder:
Exploration is not only about landscapes and discovery.
It is also about:
- systems of power
- cultural relationships
- historical context
- the stories hidden behind expeditions
The routes traveled by scientists were often connected to much larger geopolitical narratives unfolding behind the scenes.
A Luminous Perspective
At Luminous Photo Expeditions, we believe meaningful travel involves understanding not only the beauty of a place—but also the histories that shaped it.
Museums, expeditions, and scientific journeys have played an enormous role in how the world has been documented and interpreted.
Books like this invite us to look beyond the romantic image of exploration and ask deeper questions:
👉 Who was exploring?
👉 Why were they there?
👉 And how were these journeys connected to larger global forces?
Because sometimes, the most fascinating stories are not the ones displayed inside the museum—
But the ones hidden behind how the collections arrived there in the first place.
Learn More
This article is inspired by:
Delson, Roberta Marx (2026).
Scientists or Spies? The American Museum of Natural History in World War I Latin America. Springer Cham.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-18117-6
The book offers a deeper examination of the intersection between exploration, museums, politics, and intelligence during a transformative period in Latin American history.
Key Takeaways
• Scientific expeditions often intersected with political interests
• Museum exploration in Latin America played a role during World War I
• The line between science and intelligence gathering became blurred
• Exploration is shaped by historical and geopolitical context
• Museums hold stories that extend far beyond their collections
