[The Oficina Botanica (1788-1835): an institution dedicated to the study of American plants].

By this work we pretend to analyze the reasons for the failure of the scientific enlightened politics, utilizing as example the study, from the beginning until the final of its existence, of a scientific institution, the Botanical Office. Created in full process of decadence of the political and economical enlightened model, it was capable of carrying out a great economical and organizational effort and on the botanical expeditions to the Spanish America, but it didn't undertake, in an effective way, a following step, to show to the world the natural wealth of the American possessions.