South America - South America; Matthäus Seutter - Atlas Minor praecipua orbis terrarum imperia, Regna et Provincias - 1681-1700

The map shows all of South America with a detailed depiction of all national borders, rivers, lakes, and mountains. With a beautiful title cartouche, scale cartouche, and sailing routes of the various explorers.

Year: ca. 1744
Place of issue: Augsburg
Dimensions (cm): 29 x 25 cm
Condition: The map is generally in very good to excellent condition.
Due to its age the map may show signs of wear or small markings or imperfections expected with time. Please view the images carefully to assess the condition and feel free to message me if you would like any additional information.

One of the oldest known South American civilizations was in Norte Chico, on the central Peruvian coast. Although it was a pre-ceramic culture, the monumental architecture of Norte Chico is contemporaneous with the pyramids of ancient Egypt. In 1494 Portugal and Spain, the two great maritime European powers of the time, anticipating that new lands would be discovered in the west, signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. They, with the support of the pope, agreed that all land outside Europe would be an exclusive bilateral division between the two countries. From the 1530s onward, the people and natural resources of South America were repeatedly exploited by foreign conquistadores, first from Spain and later from Portugal.