Ynés Mexía

Mexican-American collector who began fieldwork at fifty-five and out-collected careers twice as long.

Core Principles & Analysis

• She started botanical collecting at fifty-five after joining Sierra Club outings in San Francisco.
• In thirteen years she gathered roughly one hundred fifty thousand specimens across the Americas.
• Her expeditions ran from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including a canoe descent toward the Amazon.

Specifications & Metrics

• ERA: 1870 – 1938