Tabasco in Paris, 1889. National identity and science at a Universal Exhibition

The participation of José N. Rovirosa Andrade in the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition is examined to explain the incorporation of regional science into the Porfirian national identity project. The analysis employs a qualitative approach that includes analytical and comparative methods to review primary and secondary literature, focusing on the presentation resources and institutional interventions that united science, art, and archaeology in the Mexican pavilion. Rovirosa functioned as a bridge between local knowledge of Tabasco and national forms of representation, using natural samples, technical drawings, and reports. This procedure helped create a specific regional identity. A five-dimensional analytical framework is suggested that can help study how knowledge is shared and what representative role regional production plays in cultural and knowledge diplomacy.