Description:
Woodcut map of the Americas, second state with 'Peru' written horizontally, double-headed eagle holding the coat of arms of Castile and Leon, image 166 x 130mm. (sheet 188 x 140mm.), [Antwerp, 1566, 1567 or 1583]An extremely rare map of the Americas.
This scarce map is filled with place names along the coastlines, an uncommon feature for a map of this region in the mid-sixteenth century. The map was published by Jean Bellere, a Dutch printer and publisher, and first appeared in Lopez de Gomara's La Historia General de las Indias in 1554. The detail in North America was derived from the explorations of Ayllon, Gomes and Fagundes. Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon was a Spanish explorer who initiated the first European attempt to establish a settlement in the area now known as the United States. In 1526 Ayllon established the colony of San Miguel de Gualdape in what is believed to be either present-day Georgia or South Carolina. Ayllon died in the settlement, which lasted only a few months due to a scarcity of… Read More
