Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio, 1570 and 1606

This map spotlight highlights two maps from the private collection of Frank and Carol Holcomb, recently digitized by the Texas General Land Office.

The Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio maps in the Frank and Carol Holcomb Collection are exceptional not only because of their beauty, but because they show how map publishers incorporated new cartographic information in their maps.

Abraham Ortelius, *Americae Sive Novi Orbis Nova Descriptio*, Antwerp, 1570, Map #93805 [left]; and London, 1606, Map #93810 [right], Holcomb Digital Map Collection, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.

Abraham Ortelius, the famous Flemish cartographer and map publisher, printed Americae Sive Novi Orbis, Nova Descriptio (1570) as a part of his Theatrum Orbus Terrarum, considered the first modern atlas of the known world. The atlas was initially published in 1570, with new editions issued through 1612. The Theatrum was the first atlas released as a collection of uniform sized map sheets with their text printed from specially engraved copperplates[1].

Ships are shown off the western coasts of Mexico and South America in the 1570 edition (top); additional ships are included in the Atlantic of the northeast coast of South America and the Caribbean islands in the 1606 edition (bottom).

This hand-colored, printed sheet map from the Theatrum measures 18 x 22.9 inches. The map is drawn in an oval projection, has lines of latitude and longitude, and is believed to be based on an earlier map by Ortelius’ fellow map-maker and friend, Gerardus Mercator. The map of the New World shows the North and South American continents as well as what was known of Antarctica. It depicts the major bays, islands, rivers, mountain ranges, and coastal cities of each continent, the South Pacific island of New Guinea and other island chains in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the major islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

Ortelius indicates major settlements with red castle like buildings and even shows Mexico City as being surrounded by a lake, as it was in this era. The map is annotated in Latin and labels the New World acquisitions of France, Portugal, and Spain. The most noticeable feature in South America is the large bulge along the southwestern coast, believed to be accurate at the time of printing.

South America received an unsightly — and erroneous — bulge in the early edition of Ortelius’ map, which was corrected in the 1606 edition.

The map has a beautifully rendered cartouche containing ornate scrollwork with garlands of fruit and flora. Masks and winged lions also decorate the map title, which translates to “A New Description of America or the New World.” Other artwork on the map includes the wind heads in each corner, a few ships traversing the oceans, and a lone sea creature off the far southern coast of South America.

On both maps there are inscriptions over Brazil stating “Bresilia á Lusitanis Ao 1504 inventa.” Ortelius, who was royal cartographer to Spain’s King Philip II, points out their rival’s claim to the lands in South America. Twenty years prior, The Treaty of Tordasillas divided the uncharted lands of the New World between Spain and Portugal. The only border shown on the entire map is the dotted line indicating the extent of Portuguese claim to Brazil.

The 1606 edition of Ortelius’ map, published in London by John Norton, measures 16.5 x 22.4 inches and is also a hand-colored print. It has richer coloring and a second cartouche placed in the vast emptiness of North America which states, “Regions further north from here are unknown.” Fleets of ships now cross the oceans, an indication of the late sixteenth-century boom in global trade. This publication of the map has one of the earliest depictions of the Solomon Islands since their discovery by Europeans. They feature prominently in the Pacific Ocean, just south of the equator and adjacent to New Guinea.

South America has lost its west coast bulge, a correction in the cartography from the earlier editions, and is more or less the shape we recognize today. The regions and rivers on the continent rendered in more detail and the cities more numerous, indicating the exploration and settlements that took place in Spanish America in the previous 36 years.

The portion of New Spain that is now Mexico also shows more lakes and rivers and the increase in Spanish New World towns. California is now labeled on the map, on the Baja peninsula, and there are additional indications of exploration all along the western coast of the North American continent.

The land that will become Texas is labeled “Terlichichimechi,” in reference to both a land and a people that were thought to occupy this area. Modern day Mexico City is depicted surrounded by a lake.

Both maps also show the fabled city and lands of Norumbega, the mythical land of riches in the North American northeast.

The land that will become Texas is labeled “Terlichichimechi.” This refers to both a land and a people that were thought to occupy this area. The legends say the inhabitants were fierce nomadic tribes and the territory full of riches. Both maps also show the fabled city and region of Norumbega, a legendary land of riches in the North American northeast and the far western mythical land and city of Quivira.

From the imaginary to the real, these gorgeous maps are two great pieces from the Frank and Carol Holcomb Map Collection, digitized by the General Land Office in 2015.

Reproductions of these maps can be purchased in our online map store.

[1] The Theatrum was unusual, and is considered the first modern atlas, because it was a multi-printed, comprehensive collection of maps of the known world at a time when atlases were normally single editions with the contents bound specifically to suit the wants of an individual customer.