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This map of Portobelo, Panama was issued in Jacques-Nicolas Bellin’s Petit Atlas Maritime (1764).
The map meticulously details the bay of Portobelo on the northern coast of present-day Panama, showcasing the bay’s strategic natural harbor, surrounding fortifications, and significant maritime routes. The fine engraving includes depth soundings, navigational hazards, and key landmarks such as the fortified positions of Château de San Jéronimo, Château de Santiago, and Château de la Gloria, illustrating Portobelo's importance as a fortified hub within the Spanish colonial empire.
During the 18th century, Portobelo was one of the principal ports of Spanish America, crucial for the Spanish Crown's control over its colonial possessions and trade routes. The city served as a major transshipment point for silver and other valuable goods extracted from the mines of Peru and Potosí, which were transported overland to Panama City and then to Portobelo for shipment across the Atlantic to Spain. This wealth made Portobelo a prime target for pirates, privateers, and rival European powers.
Portobelo was the site of several significant battles and sieges in the 18th century, reflecting its strategic importance. Notably, in 1739, it was attacked and captured by British Admiral Edward Vernon during the War of Jenkins' Ear, an event that resonated throughout Europe and demonstrated the vulnerabilities of Spanish coastal defenses. Vernon's assault, which involved a fleet of six ships and approximately 3,000 men, resulted in the capture of Portobelo after only a few hours of fighting. The victory was widely celebrated in Britain and was part of a broader strategy to disrupt Spanish trade and weaken their imperial control in the Americas.
Following its capture, the British briefly occupied and destroyed significant parts of the fortifications, which dealt a severe blow to Spanish prestige and disrupted their trade networks. Although the Spanish quickly rebuilt the defenses, Portobelo’s role in the Spanish treasure fleet system began to decline as the Spanish increasingly utilized the more defensible port of Cartagena.
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.
During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.
Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.
Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.
