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This 1764 map is a finely engraved depiction of the port and town of Chagres (now part of Panama), published by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, a leading French cartographer. Bellin, recognized for his detailed and scientifically grounded maps, created this piece as part of his Le Petit Atlas Maritime, a comprehensive atlas designed for maritime navigation.
The map centers on the Chagres River and its strategic port on the Caribbean coast, which served as a vital point of access to the Isthmus of Panama. It provides navigational details essential for 18th-century mariners, with soundings in fathoms, coastal features, and notable landmarks like Fort de la Pointe and Château de St. Laurent. The layout of the town, fortified areas, and defensive structures emphasize its significance in protecting Spanish colonial interests and managing trade routes.
Bellin’s careful shading and detailed labels present an accessible yet nuanced view of the topography, showing hills, river courses, and fortified positions, all of which would have been crucial for planning naval and commercial activities. The scale in "Cinq cent Toises" (five hundred fathoms) further attests to the precision Bellin employed, enabling sailors to gauge distances accurately. A decorative title cartouche adds an artistic flourish, typical of Bellin's work and French cartography of this period.
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.
