Tierra Firma item Nuevo Reyno de Granada atque Popayan

The map covers portions of Central and South America that approximate the present-day countries of Panama and Colombia. At the time of publication, the region was organized as the Kingdom of New Granada, itself composed of various provinces and governorates shown in the image.

As part of the Viceroyalty of Peru (formerly Tierra Firmae), New Granada contained several cities that were vital to the Spanish Empire's overseas trade network. In particular, silver from the Potosi mines was shipped along the Pacific coast to Panama, where it was transported overland for export to Europe via Nombre de Dios or Portobelo. Cartagena was also a key port for the transport of precious metals, pearls, and slaves.

Pictorial topography emphasizes the region's exceptionally rugged terrain. The mountains and highlands are home to an indigenous people known as the Muisca. Beginning in the 1630s, Spanish conquistadores came into conflict with these tribes during their perennial search for gold, and by 1540 the area had been almost entirely subdued under the authority of the new capital Santa Fe de Bogotá.

The map was published in Leiden in 1630 as part of Johannes de Laet’s Nieuwe Wereldt often Beschrijvinghe van West-Indien (Description of the West Indies). The work was originally issued in 1625 and contained ten maps – this is from the slightly updated version that contained fourteen maps and an additional 100 pages of text, reflecting the increased interest of the Dutch in the New World.

Described by Philip Burden as “arguably the finest description of the Americas published during the seventeenth century,” the maps in de Laet’s work were based directly off the cartography of Hessel Gerritsz, considered by some to be the foremost mapmaker of the Dutch Golden Age of Cartography. Gerritsz was the exclusive cartographer for the Dutch East India Company and had access to some of the most up-to-date information available. His maps are generally only available in manuscript form and those published by de Laet are some of the few available to collectors today.

Johannes de Laet was no slouch, either, and he used meticulous research and contemporary sources when compiling his geographic data. As a director of the newly formed Dutch West India Company, the latest information from private correspondence, manuscripts, and other company secrets would have also been made available when compiling the maps.

Etching, very good condition. Rare.