Chapter XXII: Appendix: III

THE MAPS OF YUCATAN, 1501-1800

While I was at work on the main body of this book my attention was drawn to the question of cartography by Dr. Edward Luther Stevenson of New York. I decided that it would be worth while to try and compile a list of all the early maps of Yucatan. It would be folly for me to claim that the list I give here is complete; it is, however, at least as complete as any such list now existing. No attempt has been made to list all the modern maps of the area; neither has there been any attempt to include maps of limited portions of the peninsula. A selection from the immense amount of material given by Pedro Torres Lanzas has, however, been made, and the notes made by Dr. Tozzer in Seville are appended.

THE MAPS OF YUCATAN ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER

1502 ? PORTUGUESE.
Valentini (1898, 1902) refers to this map as being dated either
in 1493 or 1502. There is little doubt that this map is misdated
for the following reasons:

1. The information contained in the map is so full that it
cannot have been earlier than 1520.

2. The nomenclature is mainly "sailor names" and therefore
inconclusive.

3. The alleged Yucatan runs from its nearest point to Cuba
northwardly, not southwardly. It is my belief that the peninsula
in question is meant for Florida, and that it is too far west.

4. The whole style of the map is comparable to that of the
following well-known ones: Turin-Spanish, 1523-25;
Wolfenbuettel-Spanish, 1525-30; Maggiolo, 1527; Verrazano, 1529;
Weimar-Spanish, 1527. It is for more full and accurate than
Maggiolo, 1519. Therefore it cannot date from before 1520, and
probably not from before 1525.

ca. 1501-02 RICHARD KING PORTOLAN (Hamy Coll.).
Has Cuba and other West Indies, also eastern portions of South
America, neither Mexico nor Yucatan.

1502-04 CANTINO (Stevenson, 1903).
Has Cuba, etc. No Mexico and Yucatan.

1507 WALDSEEMUeLLER.
America first so called. Its presence is indicated, but its
shape is not defined. Florida, Cuba, and Brazil appear; Mexico
and Yucatan do not.

1508 PTOLEMY, ED. RUYSCH, ROME (Nord. XXXII).[A3.1]
America shown as a vague archipelago in the Pacific. It is not
named.

1512 PTOLEMY, ED. JOANNES DE STOBINICZA, Cracow (Nord.).
America indicated but not named.

1514 LODOVICUS BOULENGER (Nord.).
America shown by name and called "Nova reperta."

1515 GREGORIUS REISCH, STRASSBURG (Nord.).
No Yucatan.

1516 WALDSEEMUeLLER.
See 1507.

1516-20 MUNICH-PORTUGUESE.
Has no Yucatan.

1519 MAGGIOLO.
See 1527.

1520 PETRUS APIANUS (Nord.).
Has no Yucatan.

1523-25 TURIN-SPANISH (E. L. S.).[A3.2]
The general outline of Yucatan is recognizable. There is a gap
on the south of Yucatan where the isthmus should be. All the
names save Cozumel are wrong.

1527 MAGGIOLO (E. L. S.).
The shape of Yucatan is all wrong, and Yucatan is shown as a
rather small island far from the mainland. No names.

1527 WEIMAR-SPANISH (E. L. S.).
Yucatan a peninsula. Isthmus is roughly drawn and too narrow,
"gotoche" (Catoche), "y. demuJeres" (Isla de Mujeres), and
"cocumel" (Cozumel), etc. At the isthmus is a name which possibly
may be Ytza; it is very indistinct.

1528 ? BENEDETTO BORDONE, VINEGIA (Nord.).
Has no Yucatan.

1529 RIBERO (E. L. S.).
Has Yucatan as a large island near to the mainland, with
Hihueras (Higueras = Honduras) correctly located.

1529 VERRAZANO (E. L. S.).
Has the general outlines of Yucatan approximately correct, but
there is a large gap at the southern part.

1525-30 WOLFENBUeTTEL-SPANISH (E. L. S.).
Yucatan a large island very close to the mainland. Cf. Ribero,
1529.

1530 VERRAZANO'S GLOBE.
Shows Yucatan as an island.

1530 ? ANONYMOUS CARTA DE LAS ANTILLAS, SENO MEJICANO Y COSTAS DE
TIERRA FIRMA. CARTAS DE INDIAS 1877.
Yucatan is shown as a peninsula. Merida does not appear.
Campeche is written "Campeci," and Mexico "Mesico." It seems to
be a map of the same period as the Weimar-Spanish, 1527.

1531 ORONTIUS FINAEBUS (Nord.).
Yucatan (called Iucatanus) shown as an island.

1532 SIM. GRYNAEUS NOVUS ORBIS, BASILEAE (Nord.).
Cuba and America confused. Yucatan not named, but indicated as
a part of Cuba, which lies where Mexico should. There is a break
in the isthmus.

1534 ? MALARTIC PORTOLAN.
Has Yucatan as an island far from mainland with a dense
archipelago instead of an isthmus.

1534 PETRUS MARTYR, VINEGIA (Nord.).
Yucatan an island with dense archipelago in lieu of isthmus.

1536 MERCATOR.
Yucatan a peninsula.

1538 GERARDUS MERCATOR (Nord.).
Yucatan named and an island.

1539? PORTULAN OF CHARLES V, IN WIENER, 1875.
Has Yucatan a round island a good way from mainland on three
different maps.

1540 PTOLEMY, BASEL (Nord.).
Yucatan shown as an island.

1542 ALONSO DE SANTA CRUZ, IN DAHLGREN, 1892.
Shows Yucatan as a peninsula, but makes east coast run nearly
east and west.

1543 CASPAR VOPEL (Nord.).
Yucatan shown as an island.

1548 PTOLEMY, VENICE (Nord.).
Yucatan shown as an island, not named.

1551 APPIANUS.
Has Yucatan as a peninsula.

1554 GASTALDI, MAPPAMUNDI, VENICE (Mueller Coll.).
Has Yucatan a peninsula, but has no names save Cozumel and
Catoche.

1556 HIERONIMO GIRAVA, MILAN (Nord.).
Yucatan is a peninsula, but much too small.

1560 FERRANDO BERTELI (Mueller Coll.).
Yucatan (called Luc[=a]tan) is an island close to the mainland.

1562 MARTINES, JOAN, MAP OF THE WORLD (in Stevenson, 1911).
Yucatan is shown as a peninsula. The isthmus is too narrow.

1566? LANDA (see Plate IV).
This map, notwithstanding its inaccuracies, is interesting and
valuable. It appears in the original MS. of Bishop Landa's famous
work. The remarks as to distances, in the southwest corner, are,
of course, entirely erroneous. Also it should be noted that
Cozumel (i.e., Cuzmil) and Las Mujeres are placed on the wrong
side of the peninsula. One of the most interesting points about
the map is that it gives Mani as "The city of the King." This is
undoubtedly a reference to the Tutul Xius whom we have mentioned
in the body of this book.

1566? LANDA (see Plate V).
This smaller map is much like the foregoing one. But it fails
to include such place names as Ychpa, Chicheniza, Mani, and so
on. At the same time a slight improvement is to be noted in the
location of Cozumel, though one is at a loss to account for the
placing of Cape Catoch.[A3.3]

1570 ORTELIUS, THEATRUM ORBIS TERRARUM.
Shows Yucatan as a peninsula; calls Merida Atalaria, Cozumel
Acasumal, etc.

1572 THOMASO PORCACCHI DA CASTIGLIONE, VENICE.
Has Yucatan as a peninsula.

1576 ANOTHER EDITION OF PORCCACHI DA CASTIGLIONE.

1581 PLANO DEL PUEBLO DE MUTUL, EN LA PROVINCIA DE YUCATAN, TERMINOS
DE LA CIUDAD DE MERIDA. POR MARTIN DE PALOMAR? TORRES
LANZAS, i, 33.
This map accompanies the _Relaciones de la Provincia de
Yucatan_. Published by the Real Academia de Historia in 1898.

1584 ANOTHER EDITION OF ORTELIUS.

1587 MERCATOR (Nord.).
Yucatan a peninsula named either Atalanta or Atalania (print
indistinct).

1590 JOANNES MYRITIUS, OPUSCULUM GEOGRAPHICUM RARUM, INGOLDSTADT
(Nord.).
Yucatan not named. There is a projecting territory which,
because of a large bay running in from the north, looks not
unlike a U. Possibly the bay is the Laguna de Terminos shown too
large.

1603 GULIELMUS NICOLAI BELGA, GLOBE, Lyons (Mueller Coll.).
Yucatan an island far from the mainland. Cozumel much too large
and close to western end of Cuba.

1605 WILLEM JANSZOON BLAEU, WORLD MAP (original in Hispanic Museum,
New York City).
Yucatan shown as a peninsula. Tabasco appears in the middle of
the isthmus.

1608 MATTHIAS QUADUS, FASCICULUS GEOGRAPHICUS, KOeLN (Nord.).
Hispania Nova. Yucatan a peninsula, but not named.

1611 HONDIUS WORLD-MAP (E. S. L.).
General shape of Yucatan approximately correct. Tabasco is
shown in the middle of the isthmus. Atalana in northeast corner
of Yucatan.

1613 MERCATOR, ED. IUDOCI HONDIJ, AMSTERDAM.
Yucatan a peninsula.

1620 ANOTHER EDITION OF PORCACCHI DA CASTIGLIONE.

1631 JOHN SPEED (London ?).
Yucatan shown as a peninsula.

1635 WILLEM JANSZOON BLAEU, AMSTERDAM (E. L. S.).
Yucatan shown as a peninsula.

1638 Another edition of MERCATOR.

1656 MEXIQUE OU NOUVELLE ESPAGNE, PAR M. SANSON D'ABBEVILLE, PARIS.
Shows Merida and Valladolid with the YZUES between them, and
with the COCOMES between Valladolid and L. Bacalar. Southern
portions of Yucatan very poorly shown.

1667 BLAAUW, AMSTERDAM, YUCATAN AND GUATIMALA.
A very good map for the time. It shows accurately what were
then thought to be the facts. Merida, Conil, Chuaca, Valladolid,
Campeche, Bacalar, and Chetumal all nearly correctly placed. Just
south of Merida are the YZAES and just south of them the COCOMES.
The isthmus is too elongated and runs too much east and west. The
Zoques given.

1671 ARNOLDUS MONTANUS, AMSTERDAM.
A shameless "steal" from the preceding. (Montanus may, however,
make acknowledgment in his text.) Practically identical with
Blaauw, 1667.

1689 EDWARD WELLES, LONDON.
Has Merida, Valladolid, Campeachy, and Vera Pax. Abo Guatimala.

1694 JAILLOT'S MAP IN ALLARD'S ATLAS MINOR.
Has Merida, Valladolid, Campeche, Chetumal, Salamanca, Vera
Pax, etc.

ca. 1697 AVENDANO'S MAP. (See Plates Ia and Ib.)
Shows Lake Peten.

1702 ATLAS MARITIMUS NOVUS, LONDON.
Has coasts only. Fairly correct.

1714 or just before POPPLE, LONDON.
Has Merida and LAKE PETEN rightly placed.

1720 MATTEO SEUTTER, ATLAS NOVUS, AUGSBURG.
Very poor. Gives few names. Southern portion of Yucatan much
too narrow. No lake.

1722 PLANO DE PARTE DE LA COSTA DR YUCATHAN ... LA QUE VISITO SU
GOBERNADOR Y CAPITAN GENERAL D. ANTONIO CORTAYRE, ANO
1721. TORRES LANZAS, i. 88.
Coast with Merida in south, Cacalchen Tilam in east. Sisal in
west; shows possible defense of the roads. Drawn with care as to
the details; colored; trees near coast.

1728 ATLAS MARITIMUS ET COMMERCIALIS, LONDON.
Has "Jucatan" and Campeche, but not much else.

1739 PIERRE VANDER AA, LEYDEN.
Copied exactly from Blaauw, 1667, and Montanus, 1671. The
Choles appear in addition to the Zoques (who are on the other two
maps). Latitude and longitude have also been added.[A3.4]

1740 MIGUEL DE GUZMAN, PICTURE MAP OF PETEN, IN TORRES LANZAS.
(See Plate II.)

1740 ATLAS NOUVEAU, BY JEAN COVENS ET CORNEILLE MORTIER (Boston
Athenaeum).
Map of Yucatan by Popple, in colors. Has, among other places,
Sisal, Quyo, Merida, Valladolid, Lago de Bacalal, Thub,
Salamanca, Chuckabul, PETEN LAKE, with LAGU-ASTAL on the southern
bank, Verapax, etc. Lake too far east. Cf. Popple, 1714.

1740 OTTENS, ATLAS NOUVEAU, AMSTERDAM (vol. iv.).
Has the Yzues between Merida and Valladolid, and the Cocomes
south of them. Cf. 1656, 1667, 1671.

1746 HAZIUS AND LOWITZ, ATLAS (Harvard College Library).
Has a very good map of Yucatan which shows in full the results
to geography of the conquest of the Itza-Peten-Quehache region in
1697. The map shows, among other places, the following: Merida,
Linchanchi, Sisal, Cujo, Bocas de Conil, Valladolid, Bacalar,
Campeche, CHAVICH, QUEHACHES, TIPU, BATCAB, CHANES, ITZA, PETEN o
LOS REMEDIOS, CHAXAL RIVER, MOPAN, Chol, Coban, etc. LACANDON and
LOS DOLORES are located northwest of the lake.

1746 PLANO Y DEMARCACON DEL CAMINO Y DISTANCIA DESDE LA CIUDAD DE
MERIDA DE YUCATAN HASTA LA LAGUNA DE BACALAR ... DESDE EL
PUEBLO DE CHUNHUHUB A LA LAGUNA AY 35 LEGUAS DE DESPOBLADO
... ANO 1746. TORRES LANZAS, i, 114.
Shows all the towns on the road from Merida to Bacalar.

1746 PLANO DEL RIO HONDO QUE SE COMUNICA CON LA LAGUNA DE BACALAR....
TORRES LANZAS, i. 115.
Little detail.

1751? PLANO DE LOS TRES RIOS DE BALIZ NUEVO Y HONDO CITUADOS ENTRE
EL GOLFO DULCE O PROVINCIA DE GOATEMALA, Y LA DE YUCATAN....
LA CITUACION DEL REAL PRESIDIO DE SAN PHELIPE DE BACALAR, EL
CAMINO QUE DE EL VA A LA CAPITAL DE MERIDA, LA LAGUNA DEL
PETEN ITZA.... TORRES LANZAS, i, 143.
Drawn with great detail, especially as regards coast line and
islands. Northern portion of coast of Guatemala west to Peten,
north to Bacalar. This is the road treated of by Villagutierre,
Cogolludo, and Avendano.

1764 JAQUES NICOLAS BELLIN, PARIS? (Cong. Lib.).
The northern portions of Yucatan need no comment. In the south
we find: Quehaches, Chenes, Batcab, Nohukum R., Tipu, Coboxes,
Lac de Puc, Chaltuna, Alain, ITZA, Mopanes, Choles, etc. The lake
is too far east.

1771 CARTE DU MEXIQUE, MR. BONNE M. DE MATHEM, PARIS (Harvard College
Library).
Gives Merida, Valladolid, Campeche, Sacahuchen (= Sahcabchen?),
Tikax, Bacalar, Tzuthok, Salamanca, Sumasinta, TAVASAL, etc.

1773 ATLAS PORTATIF, BELLIN, AMSTERDAM (Harvard College Library).
Much like Bellin, 1764.

1779 ABBE MONGEZ, ATLAS, PARIS (vol. ii).
Map of Yucatan has Merida, Valladolid (wrongly placed),
Salamanca de Bacalar (wrongly placed), Quehaches, L. DE PUC with
IGUASTAL in it.

1783 BRION DE LA TOUR, L'AMERIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE, PARIS (Cong. Lib.).
Much like Bellin, 1764.

1785 GUTHRIE, LONDON.
Lake is too far east and is not named.

1801[A3.5] TOMAS LOPEZ, MADRID, MAP OF YUCATAN IN 4 SHEETS (Cong.
Lib.).
A large and valuable map which contains many names, routes,
lakes, rivers, etc. The distances and outlines of the land masses
are inaccurate. There is a list of the Curatos and Visitas of
Yucatan.

1854 DUDLEY COSTELLO, MAP OF YUCATAN, IN FANCOURT, 1854, and MACNUTT,
1908.
A clear and useful map with a few minor mistakes.

1864 V. A. MALTE-BRUN, CARTE DU YUCATAN, PARIS.
A reliable and invaluable modern map with many place names,
routes, etc.

1878 MAPA ... DE YUCATAN, FOR JOAQUIN HUeBBE, ANDRES AZNAR PEREZ Y
... C. HERMANN BERENDT.
The best and largest and fullest map of Yucatan.

1902 GUATEMALA, BY M. HENDGES, BUREAU OF AMERICAN REPUBLICS, 1902.
The best map of Guatemala. It has proved very valuable.

1915 MAP OF THE REPUBLIC OF MEXICO. PAN AMERICAN UNION, 1915.
Also a very trustworthy map.

From the foregoing list of maps the following interesting points are to be gleaned:

1. Yucatan does not appear on any map prior to 1523-1525. From the time of its first discovery Yucatan was believed to be an island. Maps vary greatly as to what sort of an island it was.

2. In 1527 the Weimar-Spanish map shows Yucatan for the first time as a peninsula. Probably the maker of this map derived his information from someone who had been with Cortes in 1524-1525. The name Ytza appears on the isthmus; it is so faint as to be almost illegible, but I think I have deciphered it correctly.

3. From 1529 (Ribero) to 1548 (Venice "Ptolemy") geographical knowledge of Yucatan falls off badly. With only two exceptions (Mercator, 1536, and Santa Cruz, 1542) the maps of this period show Yucatan as an island more or less remote from the mainland. I think that the comparative accuracy of Alonso de Santa Cruz is accounted for by the fact that he was official cartographer to the crown of Castile and that he had official information of Montejo's explorations, 1526-1541.

4. From 1551 onward Yucatan is usually shown as a peninsula; but even so late as this there are exceptions such as Ferrando Berteli, 1560, and Gulielmus Nicolai, 1603, whose inaccuracies are many.

5. In Sanson d'Abbeville, 1656, the Itzas appear again, this time under the name of Yzues. They and the Cocomes are misplaced, being too far north. It is barely possible that the entradas of Fuensalida and Orbita and Delgado, 1618-1624, may have had some influence on this map.

6. In Blaauw, 1667, we have the first step toward a really accurate map of Yucatan. This map bears many place names, among them the Yzaes and the Cocomes.

7. About 1714 Henry Popple, the great London map maker, made an excellent map of the region. On it Lake Peten is rightly located. There can be but little doubt that Popple derived his information from the English in British Honduras. Through them he probably learned of the conquest of the Itzas. It is not impossible, of course, that he was also acquainted with the writings of Cogolludo and Villagutierre, but that does not seem very likely. From that time onward the Itzas have appeared regularly on the maps of that region.