Amérique Méridionale

Decorative map of South America, with the Central American countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Belize all labelled "Guatemala". There is also some detail of the islands of the West Indies, including the archipelago of the Lesser Antilles. This map originates from one of the last great decorative atlases of the 19th Century. The map itself is full of information and coloured outlines denote the boundary lines for the countries.



Atop the map, two female figures pour water either side of the map. They represent the two main river systems across the continent, the Amazon and the Paraná. To the left of the map, a scene of a rancher herding wild horses set within the Peruvian mountain range of Cordillera Blanca, which makes up part of the Andes. There is a description below the map that describes how the local people are well-known for their amazing hunting skills using spears. Below this an Incan figure in traditional dress guards a table listing the South American countries, their population sizes and capital cities. Again, the description below recalls that the historical description on the Inca people is due to the Spanish conquistador Hernán (Fernand) Cortés (1485-1547) who colonized a great deal of the Americas for Spain in the early 16th Century - recognising him for the information gained about customs et al, but not for the tearing down powerful ancient civilisations in his path.



To the right, a scene of miners extracting , with a small group of onlookers and wild animals observing. At the time South America was home to a wealth of natural commodities. A variety of precious metals such as gold, silver, copper and lead were mined, and fruits, spices, tobacco, sugar, cotton and medicinal plants were harvested and traded by the local peoples. These commodities and trades were exploited by the European settlers and traders frequenting the area. The description below the map states how diverse the people of the South American continent are, noting that there are "so many languages spoken there that it would be impossible to understand them all", as well as a brief end sentence about Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) discovering the Americas in 1492. The map is surrounded by a garland of the fruit, flowers, and wild animals that thrive on the continent.



Engraved by Raymond Bonheur (1796-1849) for the "Universal Illustrated Atlas". Coloured. [SAM2412]