1689 Coronelli Map Amazon River (1 results)

Very good. Few creases, else excellent with generous margins. Size 11 x 18 Inches. This is Vincenzo Maria Coronelli's beautiful and fascinating map of the northern parts of South America, focusing specifically on the Amazon River and the interior of Brazil and Peru. A Closer Look The map spans from the Pacific coast of Peru to the Atlantic; part of the Atlantic coast of Brazil is revealed, as is the northern coast of South America spanning from Panama Guiana, and northern Brazil. The courses of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers dominate. The Amazon River is shown from an indeterminate source in Ecuador to its mouth. At the southern extreme, the headwaters of the Paraguay River are identified as Lago Xarayes. In addition to its depiction of the region's rivers, the map is filled with Coronelli's characteristic vignettes capturing the indigenous population in activities spanning sugar harvesting and processing, war, hunting, and cannibalism. There also appear depictions of animals: a pair of tapirs, a crane-like bird with a fantastic tropical plant, and lions. Laguna de Xarayes The mythical Laguna de Xarayes is illustrated here as the northern terminus, or source, of the Paraguay River. The Xarayes, a corruption of 'Xaraies' meaning 'Masters of the River', were an indigenous people occupying what are today parts of Brazil's Matte Grosso and the Pantanal. El Dorado? The region between the Orinoco and the Amazon were thought by Europeans, going back to the sixteenth century, to hide a supposed kingdom of gold, El Dorado; Raleigh's expedition encountered the vast Parima flood plain, which resembled a great inland sea offering trade connections between the two great rivers; gold trinkets amongst the indigenous peoples there convinced Raleigh that they originated from the fabled El Dorado. Many cartographers throughout the seventeenth century presented Parima as a massive lake, with the city of El Dorado or Manoa on its shores. Coronelli includes the lake but not the city of gold, adding a note that the lake was now believed a fable. Publication History and Census The engraving has been dated as early as 1689; it was produced for inclusion in Coronelli's Citta, fortezze, isole, e porti principali dell'Europa . The work appeared in editions dated 1694 and 1710 as well, with no noted changes. The map is listed in about a dozen institutions and appears on the market from time to time. References: OCLC 837640242.