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Detailed map of environs of the Colombian city of Santa Marta, published by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin in 1764 as part of Le Petit Atlas Maritime.
The map focuses on the city's coastal geography and fortifications, offering a detailed cartographic representation of an important Spanish colonial port. At one time, Santa Marta rivaled nearby Cartagena as the principal Spanish port in the Caribbean. The map highlights the city’s natural harbor, with clear delineations of the coastline, surrounding topography, and key fortifications, including the "Chateau de St. Ange" and "Chateau de St. Jean," which played vital roles in defending the city from maritime threats.
Bellin's map meticulously details the bay and surrounding coastal features, such as the "Pointe de Cuerno" and "Pointe de Granda," providing useful geographic markers for navigation. The town's grid layout and the presence of four fortresses guarding the harbor—illustrated with precision—emphasize the strategic military significance of Santa Marta during the 18th century. The compass rose and rhumb lines across the bay indicate navigational routes, making this map particularly valuable for mariners.
Santa Marta’s location and fortifications underscore its role in Spain’s efforts to control Caribbean trade routes and defend against pirates and European rivals. This map shows the city in a period when it was vying with Cartagena for prominence, benefiting from its natural harbor and strategic position along the northern coast of South America. However, Cartagena's superior defenses and infrastructure eventually eclipsed Santa Marta in importance. Nevertheless, the city's role as a colonial military outpost and trading hub is evident in Bellin’s detailed representation of its harbor and defenses.
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.
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