This article explores the biographies of two gentlewomen, María de Betancourt (1758–1824) and Joana de Vigo (1779–1855), who lived respectively in Tenerife and Menorca, two crucial nodes in the scientific, commercial and military global networks of the late eighteenth century. Some of their scientific and literary contributions are mapped, paying particular attention to how they became active in contemporaneous learned networks. It is argued that the peculiar, intellectually rich microcosms of the islands shaped these women's lives in ways that enabled them to enter learned circles, either real or imaginary, and from a very modest site to contribute to the global circulation of ideas, goods and peoples.

本文探讨了两位女士的传记，玛丽亚·德·贝当古 (1758–1824) 和乔安娜·德·维戈 (1779–1855)，她们分别居住在特内里费岛和梅诺卡岛，这是晚期全球科学、商业和军事网络的两个重要节点十八世纪。他们的一些科学和文学贡献被绘制出来，特别关注他们如何在同时代的学习网络中变得活跃。有人认为，这些岛屿独特的、智力丰富的缩影塑造了这些女性的生活，使她们能够进入现实或想象的学术圈子，并从一个非常普通的地方为思想、商品和人民的全球流通做出贡献.