SENO MEJICANO, HOJA II, PARTIE SETENTRIONAL, 1874

Direccion de Hidrografia, T. Bryant, Madrid, 1867, updated to 1874
Black and white, 24x37 inches

Spanish sea charts are among the finest of all working charts, and any Spanish view of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean is highly collectible: For centuries, Spain was the most knowledgeable and secretive of all nations navigating these seas and exploring along these coasts. This detailed and highly accurate chart, stretching from Texas to Florida, is of special interest to Texans, as four of the five large insets are of Texas bays, ports and rivers, with the first two dated in the Republic period. The insets are (left to right) of Matagorda Bay, Galveston Bay, mouth of the Sabine River, plan of Biloxi, and San Luis Pass, by Galveston. The mouth of the Mississippi is well-charted, with the city of New Orleans and Lake Ponchartrain, and there is good detail of the bays of Mississippi, Mobile and Pensacola. The chart notes soundings, hazards and lighthouses, marked in red and yellow. Ample margins, with some repairs; good condition for a working chart. Shaded portions upper right and left are lighting shadows and are not on the map, which is lighter and brighter than it appears here.

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$1,350 (SO39)