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In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in order to discover a westward route to the East Indies. Although he never managed to discover this elusive route, he did land on Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean Sea, and so began a long history of Spanish domination of the Americas. The Spanish quickly realised that this ‘new world’ was a hugely rich prize, and set about colonising the region. The House of Trade for the Indies administered the new colonies for Spain and was largely responsible for charting the waters of these territories. By the time that this chart was published by Thomas Lopez in 1747, the power of Spain was in decline as the British, French and Dutch sought to increase their influence in the region.
Thomas Lopez is normally associated with maps and atlases of the Spanish mainland. This unusual example of his work is notable for the clear cartographic style of the author, and the excellent engraving. The cartouche is dedicated to Fernando VI, King of Spain, and contains the Spanish Royal Coat of Arms. |
