Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
Description

Fascinating map of the Southwest, published shortly after the time of Mexico's independence from Spain.

The map is perhaps most noteworthy for its attempt to illustrate the early roads in the Southwest and Baja California, at a time when Mexico had only been independent for about 6 years and much of this region had been largely abandoned by the Spanish Missionaries during the prior decades.

Stieler bases his map on Alexander von Humboldt's map of Mexico, with additions. California is dominated by pre-Fremont Cartographic features, including a mythical river extending toward Salt Lake. Lake Teguayo is shown, along with an are marked Freye Indianer. Dozens of notes on Indians throughout California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. Excellent details in the Rocky Mountains, based upon Humboldt, Pike and Fremont.

In California, a "Fresch Water" Bay is noted, fed by a speculative river flowing to the northwest.  Further east in the Utah area, Lake Teguayo is noted, the mythical lake south of Lake Timpanagos (Salt Lake), with a note that the western coastline of the map is not known.  To the east of Lake Teguayo, the Colorado River drainage system is shown, with numerous roads and small Spanish settlements suggested, along with Indian Tribal names.

Texas is named, but the map shortly predates Austin's Colony. Remarkably, Wheat overlooks this map entirely, although he does note the 1834 United States map.