First Encounter: Visit of Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, 1876
The earliest recorded contact between the Syrian Protestant College (SPC), now the American University of Beirut (AUB), and Latin America took place in November 1876, when Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil visited Beirut.
During his visit, he met with Professor Cornelius Van Alen Van Dyck, a distinguished American missionary, physician, and educator at SPC. The emperor attended one of Van Dyck’s lectures and was presented with several of his Arabic-language textbooks, which were widely used in Syrian schools. This meeting marked a notable milestone in the historical connections between the Middle East and Latin America, highlighting SPC’s role in fostering international relationships and cultural exchange. The emperor’s visit also emphasized the significance of education and intellectual collaboration between these regions during the 19th century.