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This sheet from Benedetto Bordone's Isolario, first published in Venice in 1528, presents three early woodcut maps of the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies, printed on both sides of a single sheet with Italian text on the verso and recto. The maps capture the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and several other key locations in the Leeward Islands, just 42 years after Christopher Columbus's initial arrival in the New World. These maps are among the first printed representations of the Caribbean islands of St. Martin and Guadeloupe, highlighting the nascent European understanding of these territories during the early 16th century.
One side displays two additional maps. The upper map illustrates "Guadalupe" (Guadeloupe), shown with undulating terrain covered by leafy vegetation, reflecting a general European impression of the island's lush landscape. The map also includes Dominica to the south, depicted similarly, though with less detail. Below this is the map of "Matinina" (Martinique), which is characterized by rolling hills dotted with numerous caves, features that Bordone's accompanying text addresses, suggesting a land known for its rugged terrain and natural shelters. The depiction reflects a blend of observed features and mythic interpretations common in early maps, where European explorers' accounts mingled with speculative elements.
The other side features a small-scale chart of the Leeward Islands, which, while not geographically accurate by modern standards, provides an early attempt at mapping this region. The islands depicted include "S. Maria Rotonda" (potentially a fictitious or speculative island), "Moserato" (Montserrat), "Buchima" (Barbuda), "Dominica," "S. Maria Antica" (Antigua), "Santa" (Saint Kitts), and "S. Martino" (St. Martin). The cartographic style is simplistic, with each island represented by irregular shapes and labeled with the early Renaissance interpretations of their names. The compass rose provides orientation, though the map's layout and scale are more illustrative than navigational.
The Italian text translates as follows:
Beyond this is the island called Characara by the locals, which has parrots much larger than those known to us, whose entire bodies are red and whose wings are painted in various colors. It is inhabited by Cannibals. To the north, not far from it, lies the island of Matinina [Martinique], which is inhabited solely by women, who, at a certain time of the year, after this time ends, join with the Cannibals, and when the time of childbirth comes, if the child is male, they send him to the Cannibals' island after three years; if female, they keep her. Their dwellings are subterranean caves, and if any man, outside of the predetermined time, wishes to join with them, they flee, and inside these caves, they defend themselves with their arrows.
Not far from there is the island of Guadalupe, from which blows an air so fragrant that human tongue cannot describe it. It is inhabited by Cannibals (as stated), a people devoid of any humanity. Their dwellings are constructed in the following manner: first, they make a round plaza, around which they build twenty or thirty houses with very tall trees. Around the inner side (since the houses are also round), they place short logs meeting long ones, to prevent the long ones from falling, and the roof, shaped like a pavilion, is made of wood, covered with palm leaves or similar leaves, so that the water falling from the clouds does not harm them. On the short beams, with cords made of cotton or roots, they hang their beds, which are filled with cotton or straw, and thus they sleep. Around this plaza, they have porticoes where they gather for their games. They have wooden statues not for worship, but for beauty and amusement. For their god, they hold the sky, have earthenware vessels similar to ours, and keep parrots, ducks, and geese. They make the tips of their arrows from the bones of human arms and legs. Eight very large rivers run through this island, which is situated at the beginning of the second climate, under the Tropic of Cancer, at the sixth parallel, and its longest day is thirteen and a half hours.
According to linguist Thierry l'Etang, Guadeloupe has undergone various name changes throughout history, particularly in the context of the island's early names, which include Characara. Initially referred to as Turuqueira and later as Çurruquia for Chanca, Guadeloupe has been recorded under several names including Carucueria, Carucueira, Caracueira, Queraqueira, and Caraquéira, as noted by Martyr d'Anghiera. On the schematic map attributed to Bartholomew Columbus (1503-1505), the island appears as Carucura at the top of the arc of the Lesser Antilles, above Guadalupa and at the level of the Virgin Islands. In the Libretto (1504), the island is called Carachara, while Benedetto Bordone's Isolario (1528) names a nearby island Characara. Geraldini and Santa Cruz referred to it as Caruqueira, and Bernaldez listed it as Quaruqueria, Quaruquena, or Quaréquena. Gregory McIntosh identifies several additional variants, including Caraquiera, Carqueixra, Carqueira, Kerkeria, Quiqueri, and Quariqui. Another set of variants associated with Guadeloupe includes names from Gomara, such as Guacana, Guacane, or Guancano. The Anonymous of Carpentras referred to it as Caroucaira, and Rochefort used Carucueira. For Breton and the indigenous peoples who distinguish clearly between the two islands, Kaloukéra or Caloucaéra specifically denotes Basse-Terre, or Guadeloupe "properly speaking," while Grande-Terre is referred to as Kousaalaoua, Couchâalaoüa, or Couchahalaoüa. This essay explores the historical evolution of the name Characara, reflecting the rich and varied nomenclature that has been applied to Guadeloupe over centuries. For further details, see the source titled "On the Indigenous Name of the Islands of the Antilles Archipelago."
Benedetto Bordone (1460-1531) was a polymath who was born in Padua and worked in Venice. He was an illuminator, engraver, miniaturist, editor, and geographer. It is possible he made the first globe in Italy. His most famous work is the Isolario, or Book of Islands, which included many of the earliest printed maps of islands in the New World.
Bordone, a prominent Venetian manuscript editor, miniaturist, and cartographer, was born in Padua, a city that was then part of the Republic of Venice. Although his exact date of birth remains unknown, historical records indicate that his parents married in Padua in 1442, and he himself was married in 1480. Bordone's contributions to the field of cartography, particularly through his seminal work, Isolario, have cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in the Renaissance cartographic tradition.
Bordone's most renowned work, Isolario (The Book of Islands), printed in Venice in 1528, is a comprehensive compilation that describes all the known islands of the world. The book offers detailed accounts of each island's folklore, myths, cultures, climates, geographical situations, and historical narratives. It stands as a testament to the popularity of the isolario genre in 15th and 16th century Italy and serves as an illustrated guide for sailors, incorporating the era's latest transatlantic discoveries.
One of the notable features of Isolario is an oval depiction of the world, a map type invented by Bordone. This innovation was later formalized into the equal-area elliptical Mollweide projection three centuries afterward. Bordone's map portrays a distorted view of the New World, showing only the northern regions of South America and depicting North America as a large island labeled Terra del Laboratore (Land of the Worker), a likely reference to the region's active slave trade during that period, which also influenced the name Labrador.
The book also contains the earliest known printed account of Francisco Pizarro's conquest of Peru, making it a significant historical document. Among the numerous woodcut maps included in Isolario, twelve are dedicated to the Americas. These maps feature a plan of "Temistitan" (Tenochtitlan, modern Mexico City) before its destruction by Hernán Cortés, and a map of Ciampagu, the earliest known European-printed map of Japan depicted as an island.
Benedetto Bordone's familial connections are also of interest; he is reputed to have been the father of Julius Caesar Scaliger, a noted classical scholar, and the grandfather of Joseph Justus Scaliger, who is recognized as the founder of the science of historical chronology. The original maps from Bordone's Isolario are highly valued today for their historical significance and intricate craftsmanship. Through his work, Bordone has left an indelible mark on the history of cartography, providing invaluable insights into the geographical knowledge and cultural perceptions of his time.
