The historiography of Mexican science has appraised the Botanical Garden in Mexico’s post-independence years as a decadent institution, corresponding to the alleged cultural stagnation of Mexico City. This essay aims to reconstruct the activities of the Botanical Garden on the basis of articles published in three Mexican periodicals between 1832 and 1846. The analysis of these writings shows that the Botanical Garden brought together amateur and professional scientists interested in natural sciences and in their economic, therapeutic, educational and scientific uses.