1889 Bourgade Map of Paraguay

This is an 1889 Emmanuel de Bourgade La Dardye map of Paraguay. The map depicts the country after the Paraguayan War, which resulted in Paraguay forfeiting massive amounts of territory to both Argentina and Brazil. After suffering a devastating defeat in the war, these annexations forced Paraguay into the boundaries presented here, bounded by the Parana and Paraguay Rivers.

The Map Itself

De Bourgade spent two years exploring and researching in Paraguay. This map, which was the best-published map of Paraguay at the time, summarizes all de Bourgade's geographic knowledge of the country. Cities, towns, and villages are labeled, including Asuncion. The country's railroads are noted, along with major roads connecting Villa Rica and Asuncion. An inset in the upper right details Asuncion and numerically identifies sixteen locations, which correspond with a key along the inset's bottom border. A second inset, along the left border, situates Paraguay on the South American continent.

Creating the Map and the 1871 - 1873 Boundary Commission

In compiling this ground-breaking map, de Bourgade consulted the best surveys available. The works of Ernest Amédée Barthélemy Mouchez and Dr. Hugo Toeppen, both landmark maps of Paraguay, provided valuable information for de Bourgade, as did the unpublished maps created by the International Boundary Commission. The Boundary Commission 'determined the frontier line between Paraguay and Brazil' after the Paraguayan War (1864 - 1870). However, in his book on Paraguay, de Bourgade states that these maps did not 'completely accord with [his] own person observations' in certain areas.'

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Emmanuel de Bourgade La Dardye to accompany his book Le Paraguay, first published in 1889. Five examples of the separate map are cataloged in OCLC. They are part of the collections at the University of Chicago, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Biblioteca Nacional de España, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the University of Cambridge.