Mexico or New Spain, in which the motions of Cortes may be traced

Attribution:

Thomas Kitchin

Date:

1777

Description:

Printed as part of William Robertson’s History of America, which aimed to highlight the glories of the British Empire in North America, this map of New Spain shows the internal divisions of the viceroyalty. To please his audience, Kitchin identifies the San Francisco Bay Area as the “Harbor of Sir Francis Drake” and California as the “New Albion,” in reference to Drake’s purported claim of the area for Queen Elizabeth I in 1579.

Bib. Reference:

London: W. Strahan, and T. Cadell

Bancroft call number:

G4411.F7 1777 .K5

Digital image courtesy of:

Barry Lawrence Ruderman, Antique Maps