The oldest known map of the New World and the North and South American Continents is The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa. This world map was likely created sometime in the early 16th Century and is attributed to Spanish navigator Juan de la Cosa, who participated in voyages led by Christopher Columbus.
The New World is not only represented in The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa but boldly featured, with a vibrant green color against the backdrop of the dulled outlines of Europe, Asia, and Africa — perhaps communicating the enthusiasm of the new discovery and the potential that it would bring to the future of European conquest. The vibrant green color is also thought to possibly represent the lushness of the New World, which was an unexpected discovery to Juan de la Cosa and his crew. The presentation of agricultural opportunities was likely a source of excitement to the navigators on their journey.
What Else Does The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa Feature?
Beyond Juan de la Cosa’s depiction of the New and Old World, The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa features many beautiful illustrations that represent political, economic, and religious symbology. Within the individual continents, De la Cosa sketched political leaders, explorers, and the myths and legends attributed to them.
Perhaps the most significant are the Catholic illustrations located in various areas of the map, most notably, a sketch of Saint Christopher featured on the top of the map, typically a place reserved for The Virgin Mary. A variety of explanations have been offered for this. The most frequent explanation is that Saint Christopher was an allegory for Christopher Columbus. As Saint Christopher carried Christ across the flooded river, it’s thought that the illustration represents Christopher Columbus carrying Christianity across the ocean to the New World.
Who Was Juan de la Cosa?
As mentioned, Juan de la Cosa was a Spanish navigator primarily known for his role in the first three voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World. On Columbus’ first voyage, he served as Columbus’ second-in-command and was the owner and captain of the Santa Maria. Later in his nautical career, Juan de la Cosa was employed by Alonso de Ojeda, a conquistador who explored much of the northern part of South America. Most historians consider this to be the time when De la Cosa began his work on his now-famous world map.
The Significance of The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa
It’s not particularly notable for a seasoned explorer, ship captain, and cartographer to create a nautical map of the areas he visited. Most explorers from this time period commonly made maps to document their travels for themselves, as well as the banner that they sailed under. What is notable about The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa (apart from its significance as the first map of North and South America) is that it is a well-preserved map that provides valuable insight into the perspective of early New World exploration, with exceptional detail and surprising accuracy for its time.
One remarkable aspect of De La Cosa’s map is that it’s the only known first-person account of Columbus’ first voyage through the use of cartography. This is particularly notable because it’s obvious from De La Cosa’s map that he did not limit his sources to only Columbus.
While many people credit Christopher Columbus with “discovering America”, most of his four voyages were concentrated on the northeastern part of modern-day Cuba and circumnavigating what is now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Thus, De la Cosa had to have incorporated his other subsequent journeys (until 1508, it was thought that Cuba was a peninsula; De la Cosa asserts it as an island in his illustration), as well as discoveries by Englishman John Cabot (the first European to sail to North America since the Viking age) and Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral (the first European to sail to Brazil) as inspiration to his map. De la Cosa even specifically credits these discoveries by illustrating his map with the respective flags of each explorer.
Visit The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa today
While there is a lot more that can be said about the historical significance of The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa, it wasn’t until over 300 years later that this significance was recognized. In fact, The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa went missing for hundreds of years until it turned up unexpectedly in a bookshop in Paris in 1832 where it was bought by a collector. When the collector’s estate was up for auction, the Spanish Naval Minister alerted the government to its existence. The government of Spain responded by purchasing the document for 4,321 Francs in 1853. Today, you can visit The Universal Chart of Juan de la Cosa at the Museo Naval Madrid and see this stunning piece of naval history for yourself.
Image credit: Kimon Berlin, user:Gribeco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
