This article analyzes the discourse that Antonio José Cavanilles (1745-1804) gave to a description by Francisco Antonio Zea (1766-1822) of the Flora de Bogotá (1798), en “Materiales para la historia de la botánica” (1800) —Anales de Historia Natural,the first Spanish journal dedicated to the sciences. This representation contributed to magnifying the image of José Celestino Mutis (1732-1808) and his work, and gave the botany of Nueva Granada a place of honor in Spain after forty years of marginalization. Its impact in the Iberian Peninsula during more than fifteen years imposed it as a reference point for moving manu militari the cabinet of the Botanical Expedition to Madrid (1817).