Ynes Mexia: Botanist and Adventurer

Ynes Mexia was fifty years old when she found her true calling. Stuck in an unhappy marriage and living on a ranch in Mexico, her father's home country, she suffered a nervous breakdown. Sent to San Francisco for treatment, Mexia was quickly drawn into the budding environmentalist movement there, joining the Save-the-Redwoods League and the fledgling Sierra Club. Regaining the American citizenship she had given up as a young woman, she left her old life behind and threw herself into the study of botany.She embarked on a series of expeditions, often accompanied only by native guides, travelling the wilds of South America and Mexico well into her senior years. A prolific collector, Mexia's legacy remains important today. Her story traces the journey of a shy young girl from a stilted but conformist lifestyle to one full of adventure and groundbreaking achievement. Join Ynes Mexia as she forges her own path in Ynes Mexia: Botanist and Adventurer.