Exóticos pero útiles: los camellos reales de Aranjuez durante el siglo XVIII

Abstract

This article deals with the evolution of exotic animal collecting by the Spanish Court during the 18th Century. It focuses on camels and dromedaries raised in the Aranjuez Palace. In addition to providing details about the roles —symbolic, recreational, practical— they played there, the article examines their living conditions at the Royal Site, their sudden extinction around the middle of the century, and the countless problems that arose from that moment on to acquire new specimens and ensure their survival.