Cvliacanae, Americae Regionis, Descriptio. | Hispaniola, Cvbae, Aliarvmqve Insularvm Circvmiacientivm, Delineatio

Fine Latin edition of one of the earliest obtainable Dutch maps of the west coast of Mexico and the Caribbean. Presented as two maps on one sheet.

The first map shows the north-western coast of Mexico, now the modern day state of Sinaloa, from Guasave (Guacabe) to the mouth of the Piaxtla River (Piastla flu.). Marking the city of Culiacán, and with an attempt to show Altamura Island.

The second map shows the islands of the West Indies, centring on enlarged Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic (formerly Hispaniola), and Puerto Rico. Also mapped are the coastlines of Yucatan (Mexico) and the southern tip of Florida with an island group to the west, now The Keys. Major cities are marked with a red fortification; amongst those are Havana (Cuba), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and San Juan (Puerto Rico). Surrounding the islands is a skilfully engraved Mercator-style silk sea.

In order to create this map Ortelius has used Mercator's World map (dated 1569), Guttierez' map of America (1562), and Alonso de Santa Cruz's map (1560) as cartographic sources.

[Marcel van den Broecke "Ortelius Atlas Maps, An Illustrated Guide" 2nd Edition: Ort 14]
Latin descriptive text on verso. Original hand colour.