The Lost Years of Richard Trevithick in Latin America, 1816-1827.

Joel Griffett 

In the history of the great Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick’s life there is still one enormous gap: the eleven years he spent in Latin America. Since returning to Cornwall from his great adventure in 1827, plenty of myths and inaccuracies have accrued and many were immortalised into history by his son Francis, who published the first and most comprehensive biography of his father in 1872.

He arrived in Peru in February 1817, following his steam engines which were in a state of severe disrepair at the famous silver mines of Cerro de Pasco, high in the Andes. After sending two letters home to Cornwall he effectively disappeared, leaving Peru in 1823 and sailing much further north to Costa Rica to work newly discovered gold and silver deposits.

Speculation still reigns supreme and no in-depth study into ‘the lost years’ has ever been attempted, until sheer curiosity led Joel to embark on a speculative solo mission to Latin America at the end of September 2022, in the hope of finding out for himself what remained of Trevithick in the New World. After many, many months spent combing the archives and libraries of Peru and Costa Rica it is evident that Trevithick left a trail across Latin America, himself witnessing the fall of the Spanish empire and the birth of many new independent nations, engaging himself in countless different schemes, as a miner but also as a sailor, diver, merchant and even an explorer.  

It is now possible to separate fact from fiction and put to rest many of the more poignant rumours that have circulated since 1827, for example his run ins with famous men like Simon Bolivar. While these may not be true, there is also a great deal of intriguing information Trevithick chose to never tell anyone upon his return.