Sign In

This is an 1811 Spanish hydrographical chart of the area around Lima, published by the Dirección Hidrográfica based on surveys conducted in 1790 by the officers and commanders of the Spanish corvettes Descubierta and Atrevida. These vessels were part of the renowned Malaspina Expedition, an ambitious scientific and exploratory voyage commissioned by the Spanish Crown to improve maritime navigation and gain a deeper understanding of its colonial territories. 

The chart provides a highly detailed hydrographic depiction of Callao, the principal port of Lima, Peru, and its surrounding coastline. It extends from the Farellones de Pachacamac to the Islas Hormigas, covering a critical stretch of the Peruvian coast. Depth soundings, shoals, islands, and navigational hazards are meticulously recorded, offering valuable information for maritime navigation. The use of hachure relief illustrates inland topography, highlighting mountains, valleys, and agricultural lands. Additionally, key settlements, road networks, and fortifications—including the strategic defensive structures of Callao—are distinctly marked, underscoring Spain’s concerns over the security of its vital Pacific port. 

Two detailed inset maps appear in the upper-left and lower-right corners, offering additional hydrographic insights into significant South American ports. The Upper-Left inset details Concepción Bay, a vital port on the Chilean coast. It includes depth soundings, shoals, and anchorage locations, providing essential guidance for Spanish maritime traffic. The survey was conducted in 1799, reflecting Spain’s ongoing efforts to chart and control strategic harbors in the Pacific. The second inset map focuses on Valparaíso, one of Spain’s most crucial naval and commercial ports in Chile. It presents navigational details, including coastal contours, depth soundings, and anchorage points, ensuring the safe passage of vessels. Like Concepción, this survey was carried out in 1799, reinforcing Spain’s systematic approach to hydrographic exploration.

 This 1811 nautical chart represents Spain’s advanced cartographic and navigational efforts in the late colonial period. The meticulous surveying of Callao and its surrounding waters, coupled with detailed insets of key Chilean ports, highlights the strategic importance of the Pacific coast to Spain’s imperial interests.  The chart was issued at a time when Spain's hold on its colonies in South America was tenous at best, as revolutionary movements gained momentum. Despite this, the Viceroyalty of Peru—with its capital in Lima and its principal port at Callao—remained a stronghold of royalist power and Spanish administration. 

Peru was the political and economic center of Spanish South America, governed by the Viceroyalty of Peru, which at the beginning of the century still encompassed much of western South America. Lima served as Spain’s principal administrative and military hub, while Callao functioned as the viceroyalty’s most significant Pacific port, facilitating trade with Spain’s Asian territories via the Manila Galleons. Spain’s fleet relied on Callao, Valparaíso, and Concepción as key maritime centers for defense, supply, and commerce.

However, by the 1810s, the situation began to deteriorate. Chile erupted into revolution in 1810, following the deposition of King Ferdinand VII during the Napoleonic Wars. Though Spanish forces attempted to reclaim control, Chilean patriots secured independence after the decisive Battle of Maipú (1818). Similarly, in Argentina, the May Revolution of 1810 severed ties with Spain, leading to a campaign to liberate Peru.

Peru remained a royalist stronghold until 1821, when José de San Martín and his forces landed on the Peruvian coast and declared independence. Even after this declaration, Spanish forces held onto Callao until 1826, when the final royalist bastion surrendered to Simón Bolívar’s forces. With this, Spain’s three-century rule in South America effectively ended, and Callao—once a critical piece of Spain’s Pacific empire—fell into the hands of the newly independent nations. 

Rarity

The chart is very rare on the market.  

OCLC locates examples at the British Library, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and the Biblioteca Nacional de España.

This is the first example we have ever seen offered for sale.