The British mountaineer Martin Conway (1856-1937) was one of the great mountain explorers of the late 19th century. He climbed extensively in the Alps and was elected to the Alpine Club in 1877. He is best remembered as a traveller in mountain regions rather than a climber. His expedition to the Pakistan Karakoram in 1892, sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society, is considered by some to be the first great exploratory Himalayan mountaineering expedition.

In 1898-99 he travelled in South America, exploring Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. First published in 1902, "Aconcagua and Tierra del Fuego" covers the second part of these travels. With the Swiss guides Antoine Maquignaz and Louis Pellissier he made one of the early ascents of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. Afterwards he explored the Patagonian channels by boat, passed through the Magellan Straits to Punta Arenas (known to the British as Sandy Point), and with Maquignaz made an attempt on Mount Sarmiento.