'Francisco Pascacio Moreno' (
May 31 1852 –
November 22 1919) was an
Argentine explorer, born in
Buenos Aires. He is usually referred to as ''el Perito Moreno'' (''perito'' means "specialist, expert").
In 1872 Moreno began a series of exploring expeditions that made him well known. In January 1876, he explored
Lake Nahuel-Huapi, in the southern
Andes, and discovered, on
February 14,
1877,
Lake San Martin. He also explored numerous rivers in
Patagonia, and on
4 March of the same year encountered
El Chaltén, which he named
Fitz Roy.
In 1880 he went on a second expedition to the territory of
Patagonia, where he was taken prisoner by a
Pehuelche aboriginal tribe and condemned to death, but escaped on
March 11, one day before the one appointed for the execution. In 1882–1883 he explored the Andes from
Bolivia southward, and in 1884–1885 he made new explorations of the territory south of the
RÃo Negro and of Patagonia. He was director of the anthropological museum of Buenos Aires, chief of the Argentine exploring commission of the southern territories, and member of numerous European scientific societies.
For his contributions to science, Moreno received a doctorate
Honoris causa from the
University of Córdoba in 1877. He is also known for his role in defending Argentine interests during the delineation of the international border between
Chile and Argentina. In 1902 he was appointed ''Perito'' (a technical specialist or expert) in the border conflict.
In 1903 he donated some of the land previously given to him for the creation of the
Nahuel Huapi National Park. The
Perito Moreno Glacier and the town of Perito Moreno, all in
Santa Cruz Province, are named after him.
External links
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Biography (Spanish)
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Biography (Spanish)
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His statue