Havana, Cuba.- The Historian of the City of Havana, Eusebio Leal, acknowledged today the expertise of the expedition ¨By Canoe from the Amazon to the Caribbean¨ with which the settlement of the American continent was proven.

On the opening day of the Symposium ‘In a Canoe towards a Culture of Nature,’ Leal recalled the main motivation of naturalist Antonio Nuñez Jimenez, leader of the crusade, to rediscover the Caribbean and its islands by the prehistoric tribes of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

He also stressed the desire to conduct scientific research in the fields of nature and man, and advocate for the protection of the environment, he said.

In the over 17,000 kilometers traveled, between March of 1987 and June of 1988, the cultural, ethnic and natural wealth of the region was confirmed, and from the point of view of wildlife, valuable contributions were made, Leal expressed.

The voyage, he assured, was noteworthy because it called on scientists and explorers in Latin America to rediscover and investigate the region, an action previously carried out only by experts from Europe and the United States.

Leal praised the cheerful personality of Nuñez Jimenez, considered the father of Cuban speleology, whom he baptized with the nickname of ‘Captain of infinite birds and butterflies’.

At the symposium, having headquarters at the Cuban Art building of the National Museum of Fine Arts, participate up to 27 expedition members, relatives and organizers of the feat of 30 years ago, who share experiences and recall the adventure.