Alexander von Humboldt, a tireless traveler, was never in Central America; However, in 1826, he published a short but very perceptive text about the region. The Humboldt Chair and the Vice-Rectory of Research of the University of Costa Rica have considered it important to publish a bilingual edition of this text, very little known outside the realm of specialists, accompanying it with illustrations and explanatory notes. It also includes a presentation by Henning Jensen and Werner Mackenbach, a study by Ottmar Ette and a preliminary study by Héctor Pérez Brignoli.