1890 Bianconi Map of Guatemala

This is a c. 1890 F. Bianconi economic map of Guatemala. As a commercial map, Guatemala's rich natural resources are extolled from Tikal to the Pacific Ocean. Small italic print in both French and Spanish indicates the different products produced, grown, harvested, or raised. These include sarsaparilla, vanilla, mahogany, cedar, pastureland, cotton, wheat, sugarcane, and other grains. 'Forests' are also indicated as important sources of cedar, mahogany, and other tropical woods.

A Closer Look

Highly detailed, cities, towns, and villages are labeled, including Guatemala City, Jutiapa, and Quezaltenango. All twenty-two of Guatemala's departments are numerically identified and correspond with an index along the left border. Roads, carriage roads, and railways, both in operation and under construction, are also illustrated. Rivers and lakes, including Lake Guija and Lake San Andres, are illustrated and labeled, as is Guatemala's topography.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by F. Bianconi and published c. 1890 by the LIbrairie Chaix in Paris, France. It was sold by the Libreria y Papeleria de Emilio Goubaud in Guatemala. We note two examples of the present map cataloged in OCLC: Harvard and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. An English language edition was copyrighted by William M. Bradley in 1891 and published by the Bureau of the American Republics in Bulletin No. 32 (January 1892) entitled simply Guatemala.