The Malaspina expedition carries on board the elite of astronomers and surveyors of the Spanish Navy, headed by Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha, with the young Felipe Bauza as cartographer.

Also on board are many scientists and artists, such as painting master José del Pozo, artists José Guío, Fernando Brambila and Giovanni Ravenet, cartoonist and columnist Tomás de Suria, botanists Luis Née, Antonio Pineda and Thaddäus Haenke, and many others.

The Atrevida and Descubierta sail from Cádiz on July 30, 1789, and after anchoring for a few days off the Canary Islands, proceed to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, to the coasts of South America.

Once there, they sail down to Río de la Plata, and stop in Montevideo and Buenos Aires, in order to prepare a report on the political situation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

They then sail over to the Falkland Islands, and from there head towards Cape Horn, crossing to the Pacific Ocean on November 13, and stopping at Talcahuano, the port of Concepción in present-day Chile, and again at Valparaíso, the port of Santiago.