Cartographic Treasures of the Newberry Library to see some of their most significant holdings. I began with a map from Mexico, probably dating from the 1560's. I was drawn to this map for both its age and its rare, non-Western influences.
The map shows mines, smelters and haciendas in Temascaltepec, a mining region southwest of Mexico City. It was printed on a traditional Mexican paper made from the maguey plant. As the previous map indicates, paper was brought to Mexico with the invasion of Cortes in 1519. Spanish and Aztec pictographs are both used. The Aztecs used horseshoes to indicate roads and spirals for rivers. Below is a poorly photographed detail of a road meeting a river.