In 1817, Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius travelled to Brazil with a group of Austrian naturalists who accompanied Maria Leopoldina of Austria.
First they went to Rio de Janeiro, but soon they left the Austrian group and travelled on their own through Brazil.
Spix and Martius travelled from southern Rio de Janeiro to northern São Paulo.
During this part of their journey, they were accompanied by the Austrian painter Thomas Ender.
Then they continued to Ouro Preto and Diamantina, in the province of Minas Gerais, where they described the mining of diamonds.
From there, they went further into the continent and then back to the coast of Salvador.

They crossed the dry Caatinga in northeast Brazil, suffering from different severe diseases, and several times almost died of thirst.
During the whole journey, they collected and described animals and plants, but also everything else of scientific interest.
They also described indigenous people and their habits, as well as anything of possible economic importance.
They also investigated the giant Bendegó meteorite.
They discovered fossil fishes of the Santana Formation.

The last part of the expedition was the journey up to the Amazon river, then in the Captaincy of Grão-Pará.
There Spix and Martius went on separate routes to explore the region.
Spix went to Tabatinga, to the border of Peru, and from Manaus up the Negro River.
Martius travelled by boat to the Yupurá River, and from there he brought to Munich two Brazilian indigenous children from two different tribes, the Juri and the Miranha.
The children where baptized Johannes and Isabella.
Spix and Martius returned in 1820 to Munich with specimens of thousands of plants, animals and ethnological objects.
The zoological specimens formed the basis of the collection of the Natural History Museum in Munich, the ethnological objects of Spix and Martius are the basis of the Museum für Völkerkunde München (now: Museum Fünf Kontinente).
In 1817, Spix and Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius travelled to Brazil with a group of Austrian naturalists who accompanied Maria Leopoldina of Austria. First they went to Rio de Janeiro, but soon they left the Austrian group and travelled on their own through Brazil. Spix and Martius travelled from southern Rio de Janeiro to northern São Paulo. During this part of their journey, they were accompanied by the Austrian painter Thomas Ender. Then they continued to Ouro Preto and Diamantina, in the province of Minas Gerais, where they described the mining of diamonds. From there, they went further into the continent and then back to the coast of Salvador.
They crossed the dry Caatinga in northeast Brazil, suffering from different severe diseases, and several times almost died of thirst. During the whole journey, they collected and described animals and plants, but also everything else of scientific interest. They also described indigenous people and their habits, as well as anything of possible economic importance. They also investigated the giant Bendegó meteorite. They discovered fossil fishes of the Santana Formation.
The last part of the expedition was the journey up to the Amazon river, then in the Captaincy of Grão-Pará. There Spix and Martius went on separate routes to explore the region. Spix went to Tabatinga, to the border of Peru, and from Manaus up the Negro River. Martius travelled by boat to the Yupurá River, and from there he brought to Munich two Brazilian indigenous children from two different tribes, the Juri and the Miranha. The children where baptized Johannes and Isabella. Spix and Martius returned in 1820 to Munich with specimens of thousands of plants, animals and ethnological objects. The zoological specimens formed the basis of the collection of the Natural History Museum in Munich, the ethnological objects of Spix and Martius are the basis of the Museum für Völkerkunde München (now: Museum Fünf Kontinente).
Johann Baptist von Spix