1728 Ovalle Map of Chile and Patagonia

This is an extremely rare Spanish edition of Alonso de Ovalle's map of Chile - arguably the most important early map of Chile, as it is the first printed map of the region produced by someone who actually lived there. it was published to illustrate Ovalle's Historia relacion del Reyno de Chile, the first history of that country. This Spanish edition of the map is significantly rarer than the Italian edition of the same year - we see no separate examples of the map in institutional collections.

Richly Detailed

In detail, the map far surpasses any other map of Chile produced contemporaneously or prior. Its scope is broad: it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and includes Tierra del Fuego as well as Drake's Island south of Cape Horn. It is rich in place names, and shows mines, missions, cities, towns volcanoes and rivers. It marks the course of the River Bio Bio as the boundary between Spanish and Araucanian territory (sharply relevant for Ovalle's history, which dwelt on the Araucanian wars.) Lawrence Wroth in Imago Mundi (vol 14) hailed the map as 'one of the most informative American maps of its period.'

Visually Engaging

The map is beautifully engraved, accompanying the detailed geographical information with animals, native figures (with and without tails!) and an evocative pictorial presentations of the volcanic mountains along the Pacific Coast. The oceans are sailed by ships, prowled by monsters, and embellished with a fine compass rose. 

Publication History and Census

This map is rare. There are no copies of this separate map in OCLC, and only a handful of copies have come on the market.