Spaces of Acclimatization: Reales Sitios and the Introduction of Exotic Species in Spain (18th Century–Mid-19th Century)

Between the mid-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, the Spanish Crown promoted the introduction, breeding, and acclimatization of exotic animal species within the Reales Sitios. Drawing on archival sources, natural history texts, and contemporary press accounts, this study analyses these courtly spaces as environments where exotic species were observed, bred, and evaluated for potential productive uses before the institutionalization of acclimatization societies in Europe. It highlights a certain continuity in exotic animal husbandry practices, the role of specialized personnel, and how political instability, economic calculations, and the circulation of practical knowledge shaped the scope and long-term trajectory of these projects within a broader European context.