Isabel Godin des Odonais [SEP] place of death
Isabel Godin des Odonais
Isabel Godin des Odonais (1728 in Riobamba, Viceroyalty of Peru, now in Ecuador – 28 September 1792 in Cher, France) was an 18th-century woman who became separated from her husband in South America by colonial politics, and was not reunited with him until more than 20 years later. Her long journey, from western Peru to the mouth of the Amazon River, is considered unusual in the history of South America. Her story has been often repeated and inspired popular misconceptions of the dangers
of the tropical rain forest.
In 1749, her husband, Jean Godin des Odonais, left their home in Riobamba, Ecuador, Spanish South America to visit French Guiana. As a French citizen, he was refused permission by the Spanish and Portuguese authorities to return for his family. Isabel Godin des Odonais became famous for being the only survivor of a 42-person, 3000-mile expedition through the Amazon Basin to rejoin her husband. They were reunited in 1770 and later returned to France together.
Background.
Isabel Godin des