Natural historians operating in Latin America during the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the nineteenth century went to great lengths to situate themselves in relation to existing sources of scientific authority (whether indigenous or emanating from the metropole), both to affirm their own legitimacy and to challenge previous understandings. The papers in this panel consider how this process shaped the acceptance or rejection of new findings within European metropoles, the assertion of imperialist claims by the Spanish crown, and the promotion of patriotic ambitions by the Mexican and Ecuadorian republics.