THE MOST ACCURATE MAP AMONG THOSE DRAWN BY THE JESUITS

Paraqvaria // vulgo // Paragvay // Cum adjacentibus. In a lower cartridge: Adm. Rdo. P. No. // P. Vincentio Carrafa... Ioannes Blaeu Exc. Amstelodami. (1667).

Measures. Width: 56 cm / 22.04 in. Height: 45 cm / 17.71 in.

Very rare, exceptional. Very good copy. Furlong, in his Jesuit Cartography-n. 6, pp. 26-30-, record three versions of this map; the first (although he believes in the existence of an earlier one), from 1667, is given in the magnificent work "Le grand Atlas, ou cosmographie Blaviana, contenant l`Amerique", by Blaeu W. J. and J. Blaeu, published in Amsterdam. It was also published by Arnoldus Montanus in 1671 and in this same year, by John Ogilby.

For Father Guillermo Furlong, "No 17th century map can be compared with this one in the richness of its content and the accuracy of its details. The perfection of this magnificent cartographic piece is truly surprising, and it is true that if the Jesuits had not composed more than this masterpiece, they would be very deserving of our gratitude. This map proves that several others preceded it, since it is impossible that a single man could compose it without having multiple and valuable antecedents".

According to the studies carried out by Furlong, there are several authors who fail in their references. In his opinion, this map was raised by the Jesuits around 1648 and, being at that time Fr. Vicente Carrafa, General of the Company, it was dedicated to him. Juan B. Hafkemeyer, in his "A Costa do Brasil Austral na cartographia dos seculos 16 - 18", argues "This is the most valuable and the best of the Jesuit maps for the study of the history of the Missions in the 17th century. and it includes the texts of Durán, Montoya, Techo and other Jesuits, it is very interesting because of the abundance of geographical information that it presents for the first time, indicating the general lines of a large part of the embryo of South America".

DHMM