The Mapmaker's Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon

by Robert Whitaker

  224. “He’ll hear nothing of going ahead,” Godin, October 25, 1765, letter to Fiedmont.

  224. “This man wants to overpower me,” Godin, October 28, 1765, letter to Fiedmont.

  224. “Please do me the honor,” Godin, October 28, 1765, letter to Fiedmont.

  224. “to whom I might entrust,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  225. “a knight of the order of Christ,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  226. “give credit to [it], while others dispute,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  226. The date for Carmen’s death is from Arellano.

  227. “live in a debasement of human nature,” Juan and Ulloa, A Voyage to South America, 479.

  227. “wholly covered with scales,” Juan and Ulloa, A Voyage to South America, 362.

  228. “It is a serpent of a frightful magnitude,” Juan and Ulloa, A Voyage to South America, 397.

  228. “extremely troublesome and fatiguing,” Juan and Ulloa, A Voyage to South America, 370.

  229. “Her father and her brothers,” Grandmaison, “Un drame inconnu.”

  229. “a garden and estate,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  230. “to watch over her health,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  230. “might have need of the assistance,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  Chapter Twelve: Lost on the Bobonaza

  Jean Godin wrote twice about Isabel’s ordeal. The first time was in a 1770 letter to the Duc de Choiseul-Praslin. The second was in his 1773 letter to La Condamine. While the two letters are generally consistent, they differ in a few details. The 1773 document is both longer and more specific, and Jean also could have expected it to be the “historical record” of his wife’s journey. In contrast, his 1770 letter to the Duc de Choiseul-Praslin was sent as a private appeal for relief from a debt. Thus, in those instances where the details in the two letters are not quite the same, I have used the 1773 letter as the authoritative source. Rocha’s descriptions of the voyage, as he related it to a priest at Andoas, Juan Suasti, can be found in the Arnahis documents.

  For information on the rain forest, see Kricher’s Neotropical Companion. Alexander Von Humboldt wrote a three-volume account of his travels in South America that appeared between 1814 and 1825. Spruce’s 1857 trip up the Bobonaza, which he relates in Notes of a Botanist on the Amazon and in the Andes, provides a revealing foil for Isabel’s journey. In some instances, descriptions of the river basin are based on observations I made while traveling this route in 2002.

  234. “crowned with great bushes of flowers,” Kricher, 4.

  235. The description of this bridge is from Spruce, vol. 2, 163.

  237. “impractical even for mules,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  237. “rain from sunrise till nightfall,” Spruce, vol. 2, 142.

  237. “dreadful, what with mud,” Spruce, vol. 2, 148.

  237. “the track ran along the very edge of the cliff,” Spruce, vol. 2, 145.

  237. “was one mass of foam,” Spruce, vol. 2, 149.

  237. “hardly bear to think of it,” Spruce, vol. 2, 104.

  238. “crossed with difficulty,” Spruce, vol. 2, 135.

  238. “utterly abandoned by its population,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  238. “had hid in the woods,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  239. “The desire of reaching the vessel,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  241. “We had scarcely resigned ourselves to sleep,” Spruce, vol. 2, 121.

  243. “We didn’t know the path,” and “none of us had any skills,” letter written by Juan Suasti, December 15, 1769. Arnahis, 111–114.

  244. “We saw a canoe,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  245. “stooping to recover it,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  245. “with great work,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  246. “especial care to carry his effects with him,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  Chapter Thirteen: Into the Jungle

  In his two letters, Jean Godin stated that all seven of those left behind on the sandbar went together on the raft. As a result, this became the accepted history. However, the documents published in Arnahis tell a different story, and conclusively so. The documents include statements made by Rocha, Joaquín, and the Indians who went with Joaquín on the rescue mission. Their accounts provide a precise description of the scene at the sandbar. In addition, the Arnahis documents include a statement by a priest from the Santa Rosa mission station, Luis Peñaherrera, who said that Isabel informed him that only her two brothers and her nephew went on the raft, while Juanita, Tomasa, and Antonio stayed behind.

  247. “at the top of the beach,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  251. “lances and bows and arrows,” Spruce, vol. 2, 107.

  251. “confidence that help would come,” Peñaherrera’s account, Arnahis, 149–150.

  251. “five and twenty days,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  253. “The raft, badly framed,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  253. “No one was drowned,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  253. “resolved on tracing the course of the river,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  254. The description of Isabel dressed in pants is from testimony given by Andoas Indians, Arnahis, 141–147.

  255. “The very air may be said to be alive with mosquitoes,” Honigsbaum, 11.

  256. “Without interruption, at every instant,” O’Hanlon, 124.

  256. “No matter where you step,” Forsyth and Miyata, 108.

  257. “reaching into a flame,” O’Hanlon, 249.

  257. “burning, blinding pain,” Forsyth and Miyata, 108.

  257. “raging complex itches,” Forsyth and Miyata, 225.

  257. “are covered with sharp hairs,” Kricher, 380.

  258. Descriptions of the botflies feasting on Isabel and her party is from testimony given by Andoas Indians, Arnahis, 141–147.

  259. “is in reality a form of insecticide,” Kricher, 145.

  259. “All that the primitive has,” Von Hagen, Off with Their Heads, 166.

  260. “fain to subsist on,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  260. “fatigue” and “wounds,” Godin, undated letter to the Duc de Choiseul-Praslin. Arnahis, 111–122.

  260. “oppressed with hunger and thirst,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  260. See Whitney and Cataldo for a description of death from starvation.

  261. “first to succumb,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  261. “watched as they all died,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  262. “stretched on the ground,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  262. “look for water,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  262. “resolution and strength” to stand, Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  262. “clothing was in tatters,” letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  262. “cut the shoes off her brother’s feet,” and “converted them into sandals,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  262. “took her scarf and wrapped it around herself,” letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  263. “more of his own affairs,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  263. “Filled with hope,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  263. “on both sides of the river,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  264. “ax and machete,” letter written by Antonio de la Peña, January 30, 1770. Arnahis, 111.

  264. “old trousers,” declaration by Jean Rocha, January 30, 1770. Arnahis, 114–115.

  264. “They were not able to verify,” Suasti’s letter, Arnahis.

  265. “knowing what I know,” declaration by Nicolás Romero, January 8, 1770. Arnahis, 114.

  265. “by the Jibaros Indians,” Peña’s letter, Arnahis.

  265. There is one confusing note in the Arnahis documents
. Those who went back to the sandbar on the rescue mission described finding human bones and a cadaver in the river. However, nearly a year later, several Andoas Indians told of hearing a rumor that two of Isabel’s servants had shown up alive in Canelos. One was said to be a small boy and the other a big woman. However, that rumor does not square with several facts, and thus I chose not to include it. There was no “big woman” servant on the trip. (Juanita and Tomasa were only eight or nine years old.) There was only a short period between the time that Isabel and the others left the sandbar and Joaquín arrived with the rescue canoe, making it unlikely that two of the three left behind would have been rescued during this time. Finally, the Indians and Joaquin found a corpse in the river and a pile of human bones stripped of their flesh, a scene consistent with multiple deaths.

  266. “It became known that walking,” declaration by Joseph Diguja, May 28, 1770. Arnahis, 115–116.

  266. “These roads [are] closed,” court documents, Arnahis, 126.

  266. “permit commerce or even communication,” declaration by Joseph Ferrer, a Quito judge, on June 1, 1770. Arnahis, 121–122.

  266. “accomplices in this sinful behavior,” statement by Doctor Galdeano, June 1, 1770. Arnahis, 118–120.

  267. “upon the orders of Jean Godin,” declaration by Antonio Zabala, June 26, 1770. Arnahis, 129.

  Chapter Fourteen: Deliverance

  269. “drag herself along,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  269. “half dead with cold,” Spruce, vol. 2, 123.

  270. “drank as much as she could,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  270. “with the greatest difficulty, Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  271. “The remembrance of the shocking spectacle,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  271. “often the apparently strong,” Noyce, 59.

  271. “It is surprising the large number,” Leach, 151.

  272. “For the whole voyage,” Noyce, 79.

  272. “fourth walked beside them,” Noyce, 192.

  272. “I can assure you that God,” Read, 338.

  272. “turn their thoughts to the outside,” Noyce, 196.

  273. “heard a noise at about two hundred paces,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  273. “two Indians and their wives,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  273. “Her terror occasioned her,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  274. “the pants of a man and a shawl,” and “took out from her head the worms,” statement by Joseph Macuca on October 9, 1770. Arnahis, 145.

  275. “kindness truly affectionate,” Godin, letter to La Condamine.

  275. “time of Lent,” statement by Pedro Nolasco Saruín on Oct. 9, 1770. Arnahis, 141–142.

  275. “her feet were so swollen,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  275. “Madame Godin, stripped of almost every thing,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  276. “took possession of the chains,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  277. “with a high fever,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  277. “four silver dishes,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  278. “Go your way, Sir,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  278. “She said that the Almighty had preserved her,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine, recounting a letter written by Romero.

  279. “My wife was ever dear to me,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  279. “Dear Sir, with all my esteem,” Isabel Godin, letter written April 21, 1770. Arnahis, 147.

  280. “penetrated with the most lively grief,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  281. “It was proposed to take off the thumb,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  281. “On board this vessel,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  282. “were it told in a romance,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine. As explained in the notes for chapter 13, Jean mistakenly wrote that everyone left behind on the sandbar stayed together, and that there were six or seven who died by Isabel’s side. In order to avoid confusing the reader, I have edited from this passage his comment that Isabel’s maids and Rocha’s slave were with her when they died.

  Chapter Fifteen: Saint Amand

  283. “I took my leave,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  284. “Might we, Your Grace, ask you to cancel our debt,” Godin, letter to Choiseul-Praslin.

  285. “infidelity and neglect,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  285. The 1772 census information is from Froidevaux, 111.

  285. “For my part,” Godin, 1773 letter to La Condamine.

  286. “card of liberty,” Arellano, 93.

  286. “miracles may be effected,” La Condamine, “Abridged Narrative of Travels,” 258.

  286. “as extraordinary a series of perils,” Godin, Perils and Captivity, vi.

  290. “vexations, mortifications, and rebuffs,” Whitaker, 180.

  290. “reckoned equivalent to one living being,” La Condamine, “Abridged Narrative of Travels,” 258.

  292. “La Condamine may have had faults,” La Condamine eulogy.

  293. “as official geographer to the King,” Lemaire, “À la recherche de la famille d’Isabel Godin.”

  293. “which he prepared in St. Amand,” Boyer.

  293. “printed at the expense,” letter from a minister to Godin des Odonais, July 22, 1787. Froidevaux, 148.

  293. Information about the funeral for Isabel’s father can be found in Vannier.

  293. “I owe to Madame Isabelle,” Jean Godin’s “Last Will and Testament.” Copy provided by the Saint Amand-Montrond municipal library.

  294. The description of Isabel stroking her sandals and cotton dress comes from Felix Gilbert Grandmaison, the son of Isabel’s nephew Jean-Antoine.

  295. Lemaire, in his article “À la recherche de la famille d’Isabel Godin,” writes of seeing the sandals when he was a young man.

  Along the Bobonaza Today

  There are several indigenous groups that live in the Bobonaza region today. Shuars, known as Jibaros in the eighteenth century, have settlements along the Pastaza. They long had a reputation for being skilled warriors, and became known for their custom of shrinking the heads of their victims. The Shuar population is about 40,000 today, and many live in towns that border the jungle, such as Puyo.

  As was the case in 1770, Quichua live in Canelos and along the banks of the upper Bobonaza. They are the indigenous group that has always interacted the most with the Spanish. Canelos still has the feel of the mission town it once was, and Pacayacu, which is about twenty miles downriver from Canelos, also has Spanish-style buildings. Sarayacu, meanwhile, is a thriving Quichua village of perhaps 1,000. The people there live in traditional ways.

  There are several Achuar communities along the lower Bobonaza. The Achuars are related to the Shuars, and for a long time the two groups fought regularly, with the victors carrying off women from the other tribe. Fiercely independent, the face-painting Achuars remain wary of intruders, and outsiders traveling through this stretch of river are advised to avoid stopping at their villages unless they come with someone who can provide an introduction. Achuars may still hunt with blowguns and curare-tipped darts. There are only about 5,000 Achuar alive today.

  Like the Shuars, the Zaparos were known for their fighting skills. But this group was devastated in the first half of the twentieth century by contact with whites who came into the Pastaza region looking for rubber. Today there are fewer than twenty Zaparos who speak the Zaparo language.

  Huaoranis live to the north of the Bobonaza, deep in the jungle. As recently as forty years ago, their members used stone axes and resisted contact with outsiders. Quichua called them “Aucas,” meaning “people of the jungle, savages,” because of their aggressive attitude toward other indigenous groups and white colonists. However, since that time, oil exploration in Ecuador’s orient has put tremendous pressures on th
e Huaoranis, endangering their way of life. There are thought to be about 2,000 Huaoranis living in the Ecuadorian rain forest.

  The people of Sarayacu and along the lower Bobonaza are currently struggling to stop oil exploration in this river basin, fearful that it will contaminate their lands and ruin their way of life. They point to the experience of indigenous groups in northeastern Ecuador, where Texaco began drilling in 1971, as reason for this concern. Texaco dumped millions of gallons of toxic waste fluids in open pits and streams from 1971 to 1991, and the indigenous people there maintain that the pollution has caused many to die from cancer.

  Although oil companies initiated plans to explore the Bobonaza in 1989, opposition from indigenous groups stalled these efforts until late 2002, when an Argentinian oil firm, Compania General de Combustibles (CGC), established work camps on the upper section of the river. That led to several skirmishes between the oil workers and residents of Sarayacu, who at one point “detained” several oil company employees who came into their territory. Throughout 2003, tensions continued to escalate, and toward the end of the year, the Ecuadorian government announced that if the indigenous people living along the Bobonaza continued to resist, it would send in military troops to enable the oil drilling to proceed.

  Marlon Santi, who was one of my guides on my trip down the Bobonaza, is now the president of the Sarayacu and a leader of this resistance. Several international environmental groups are supporting the indigenous people of the Bobonaza. They note that the region around Sarayacu is old-growth rainforest and one of the richest biological environments in the world. Updated news of this conflict can be found at www.sarayacu.com and www.mapmakerswife.com.

  Bibliography

  Primary Sources

  Archivo Nacional de Historia (Arnahis). “Sobre la pérdida de la familia de Don Pedro Gramesón en la provincia de Mainas.” Revista 18, Edición de la Casa de la Cultura, Quito, 1970, 111–150. This contains statements of witnesses to the Isabel Godin tragedy and other documents produced by authorities investigating it in 1770.

  Bouguer, Pierre. La figure de la terre. Paris: C. A. Jombert, 1749. Translated into English as “An Abridged Relation of a Voyage to Peru,” in John Pinkerton, ed., A General Collection of the Best and Most Interesting Voyages and Travels in All Parts of the World. Vol. 14. London, 1813.