Antique Map of Mexico, 1628.

Outstanding antique map of Mexico engraved and published in the Netherlands by Mercator-Janssonius, famous cartographers and publishers of maps and atlas of the 17th century. The map that we can see in the images is dated in 1628 and remains in great condition, with no traces of wear and no torn parts. It depicts the Mexican territory, or as it was known then, of New Spain (Hispania Nova in Latin). The map is part of a lovely Atlas with engravings made by Jan Janssonius and published by the cartographer Gerardus Mercator. It stands out for its careful printing in black ink and its delicate hand-made coloring, performed with yellow, red and blue watercolors in order to enhance the drawing. The map is contained into a fine yellow-painted rectangular scaled frame. The coasts and river are painted yellow too, while the mountain ranges are painted in a fine light brown or sepia-toned color. The beautiful cartouche located at the top right corner is painted red and contains the name of the depicted territory, HISPANIA NOVAE NOVA DESCRIPTION (A New Description of New Spain). Under this cartouche we can see a simple one, painted blue and with the scales in German miles and Spanish leagues. This outstanding antique map of Mexico, then New Spain, reminds us of those times when a big part of the world remained unexplored. Measurements: Paper: Width: 9 in / 23 cm. Height: 6.6 in / 17 cm. Engraving: Width: 7.4 in / 19 cm. Height: 5.1 in / 13 cm. Jan Janssonius History Jan Janssonius (Johannes Janssonius, 1588-1664) was a Dutch cartographer and published, famous for his contribution to the Hondius Atlas. The relationship between Janssonius and Hondius started in 1612, when the first married Jodocus Hondiuss daughter, Elisabeth de Hondt. Janssonius was the son of a Dutch published and bookseller. He produced his first maps of France and Italy in 1616. In 1623 he owned a bookstore in Frankfurt am Main and later he opened other shops in different European cities. In 1630 Janssonius teamed up with his brother in law, Henricus Hondius, and they started publishing the famous Mercator/Hondius/Janssonius atlases. Under the Atlas Novus name, in 1638 the work was composed of three volumes; in 1646, a volume with English County Maps came out. In 1660 the work changed its name for Atlas Major it already consisted of eleven volumes with the work of about a hundred credited authors and engravers. It included a town atlas, an Atlas Maritimus and the Atlas of Heavens by Andreas Cellarius. After Janssoniuss death, the publishing company was continued by his son-in-law, Johannes van Waesberg.