BBVA - Press Room

• The 24th edition of the route is divided into two parts, starting in Spain and continuing with a trip to Chile in December
• More than 270 young people from 53 countries will travel through the Spanish regions of Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, La Rioja and Madrid from July 8 to July 25
• They will be received by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias at El Pardo Palace on July 9
• The expedition will travel to Chile in December, where, in addition to visiting Robinson Crusoe Island, participants will journey to Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Villarrica and Temuco, among other destinations in the Andean country

The 24th Ruta Quetzal BBVA expedition, Voyage to Robinson Crusoe's Island.  The Land of Juan Fernández in Chile, starts tomorrow in Spain, where more than 270 participants from 53 countries will meet to begin their journey. The young people will begin their travels on Spanish territory, first visiting the Carmelite convent at Ocaña, burial place of Alonso de Ercilla, the author of the epic poem La Araucana, and later Madrid, where they will have an audience with Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias. The trip will continue through Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, La Rioja and Madrid, following in the footsteps of the Spanish entrepreneurs who played an important role in making Chile what it is today. The second part of the Ruta Quetzal 2009 kicks off in December when the travelers continue their journey in Chile.

The route in Spain
 
The 2009 expedition will be received by Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Asturias at El Pardo Palace in Madrid. While in the capital city, participants will visit the Prado Museum, the Botanical Garden, the National Observatory and the Royal Palace, among other sites.

Prior to touring Madrid, the young people will visit the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Ocaña, burial place of Alonso de Ercilla, author of La Araucana. They will then travel to Valencia, site of the first headquarters of the Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the 13th century, and will tour the Lonja de la Seda y de los Mercaderes (Silk Exchange), a masterpiece of secular Gothic architecture which UNESCO has designated a World Heritage Site.

During their stay in Valencia, participants will tour the historic city center and later embark on the amphibious boat Galicia for a visit to Cartagena, birthplace of Juan Fernández. They will visit the National Museum of Maritime Archaeology, a submarine base and a Repsol refinery, and will relive the city's Carthaginian past.

Participants will continue their journey through the Mediterranean Sea, disembarking in Malaga, the birthplace of Bernardo de Gálvez, who was governor of Louisiana in 1776 and founded the city of Galveston two years later. While in the capital of Spain's Costa del Sol, Ruta Quetzal BBVA expedition members will visit the historic city center and the Gibralfaro fortress which overlooks it, and will carry out various tasks related to the construction of the Galveston brigantine and sailing activities on Jábega boats, trawling vessels used in the area for thousands of years.

The boat trip will end in Cadiz, a city founded by the Phoenicians more than 3,000 years ago which has been the site of significant historical events among the different cultures and peoples making up its past: Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and Christians. Participants will pay particular attention to the transformations wrought in Spain and the Americas by the Spanish Constitution of 1812, which was enacted by the Spanish parliament on March 19 of that year. The document reflected a new concept of sovereignty, establishing the separation of powers and introducing indirect universal suffrage for people over the age of 25. The trip will continue with a brief stop in Seville followed by a return to Madrid, the point of departure for the final stage of the Spanish segment of the Ruta Quetzal BBVA 2009.

The expedition will subsequently head to Olmedo, capital of Spanish Mudéjar art and the birthplace of Jerónimo de Alderete, before visiting Coca, Cuellar, Segovia, Peñafiel and Valladolid, for the opening of a photography exhibit at a BBVA gallery in the capital of the Castilla y León region. The photographs document prior Ruta Quetzal BBVA expeditions. Finally, in La Rioja they will visit the Valvanera, Yuso and Suso monasteries in San Millán de la Cogolla, where they will look at the importance of the Spanish language throughout the world.

The route will end in Madrid in late July with a ceremony organized by the Complutense University, which heads the academic program of this educational and cultural project.

Following the trail of Robinson Crusoe in Chile

The second segment of the Ruta Quetzal BBVA starts in December when it moves to Chile for the first time in its 24-year history. Participants will spend nearly three weeks learning about the adventures of sailor Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish castaway who inspired novelist Daniel Defoe's character Robinson Crusoe. Selkirk lived on a deserted island from 1704, when he was abandoned by the galleon Cinque Ports, until 1709 when he was rescued by the crew of the Duke and returned to England. Expedition members will embark at the port of Valparaíso for a journey to the Island of Robinson Crusoe, which is part of an archipelago discovered by Spanish navigator Juan Fernández in 1574. He made great progress in maritime navigation to southern Chile, reducing sailing time to Concepción, Chile's second-largest city.

During their time in Chile, participants will learn about Ferdinand Magellan, who in 1520 discovered and crossed the straits that bear his name. They will also learn about the important roles played by Diego de Almagro, Pedro de Valdivia and Jerónimo Alderete in the history of Chile. The expedition will set sail from the Island of Robinson Crusoe to travel to Talcahuano and later to Concepción. Members will gain in-depth knowledge of the Araucanía Region and the lake region, home to the Mapuche Indians, which features thermal pools and steam baths in the Tolhuaca National Park, before moving on to the Villarrica National Park.

Another important element of the Chilean segment of the Ruta Quetzal BBVA will be to follow the trail of the country's two Nobel prizewinners: Gabriela Mistral (Vicuña 1889-New York 1957) and Pablo Neruda (Parral 1904-Santiago de Chile 1973), two of the most prolific writers of the 20th century.

The stay in Santiago, at both the beginning and the end of the trip, will focus on commemorating the International Year of Astronomy, as proclaimed by the United Nations for 2009. The members will visit the Chilean National Astronomical Observatory, which was founded in 1852 and is one of the largest observatories in Latin America.

NOTE: To assist in downloading photographs of the 2009 expedition, an FTP has been created.

Host: ftp.dipro.es (213.170.35.70)
Username: quetzal
Password: rquetzal

For more information, please contact
the BBVA Department of Communication (91.374. 67.97)
and of Ruta Quetzal BBVA (91.351.26.21) or visit the official website at http://www.rutaquetzalbbva.com