Typus Orbis Terrarum
Abraham, Ortelius (1527-1598), Cartographer
Plantjin, Antwerp, 1587

Abraham Ortelius published the first modern atlas, Theater of the World, in Antwerp in 1570. Its 53 maps showed the entire world. Knowledge of the world was limited and continents were distorted, as seen here in Typus Orbis Terrarum. But the atlas was instantly successful. Its demand made it necessary for Ortelius to update it regularly. He printed it in new editions and other languages. Ortelius, originally a businessman and collector, was known for crediting his sources, something not commonly done at the time. From 1570 to the time of his death in 1598, the atlas expanded to include 119 maps. It was published until 1612.

The Treaty of TordesillasTreaty of Tordesillas (1494): An agreement by Spain and Portugal to divide the lands outside Europe between them; Spain received everything to the west and Portugal everything to the east helped Spain establish its first claim to the Americas in 1494. Over the next 200 years, other European countries tested Spain as she tried to hold on to this huge stretch of land. But, by the seventeenth century, England, France and the Netherlands invaded Spanish lands in the New World. When the French crossed the Sabine River from Louisiana in 1691, Spain became upset and built a series of missions to stop such intrusions. In 1716, Spain created the community of Los Adaes, near present-day Robeline, Louisiana, to further protect against French expansion into Texas. At the time, Spain deemed the Sabine River as its eastern border.

Carte de la Louisiane et du Cours du Mississippi
Guillaume de Lisle (1675-1726), Cartographer & Publisher
Paris, 1718

This map is one of the most copied and most accurate maps of the age, called "a cartographer's model." Because of its correctness, other mapmakers used it throughout the eighteenth century, especially to chart the course of the Mississippi River. Proof of its widespread popularity comes from de Lisle’s use of the name “Teijas” for a small mission village. This name became the designation for the area of modern Texas. De Lisle was called the first truly scientific cartographer, partly because he had access to official French documents for information. The French were the leading mapmakers of the time.

A new map of Mexico and adjacent provinces compiled
from original documents by A. Arrowsmith
Aaron Arrowsmith (1750-1823), Cartographer
E. Jones, Engraver
London, 1810

Aaron Arrowsmith, an engraver and cartographer, became the most respected map publisher of the early nineteenth century because of new standards that he established. His maps were a compilation of information. Using maps of earlier cartographers, he combined the best of each to create new and more precise maps. His map of Mexico and the adjacent provinces was based on the work of Alexander von Humboldt, George Vancouver, Zebulon Pike, and the Hudson’s Bay Company. His sons Aaron and Samuel, and his nephew John carried on Arrowsmith’s business. Together, they published over 700 maps during the course of their lives.