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This 1822 Spanish nautical chart cover the Pacific Coast of North America from San Blas in Nueva Galicia (modern-day Nayarit, Mexico) to Golfo Dulce on the coast of present-day Costa Rica. Compiled from Spanish surveys including the 1791 expedition of the Spanish corvettes Descubierta and Atrevida, the map offers a fine early treatment of the Pacific coastline of colonial New Spain and Central America on the eve of Mexico's independence.

 The chart was created in the wake of Spain’s intensified scientific expeditions in the Americas, notably under the auspices of the Real Armada during the Bourbon reforms. The voyage of the Descubierta and Atrevida, commanded by Alessandro Malaspina and José de Bustamante, was one of the most ambitious Spanish scientific expeditions of the late Enlightenment. Conducted between 1789 and 1794, this expedition aimed to collect hydrographic, geographic, and ethnographic data to strengthen Spain’s imperial control and maritime knowledge in Spain's final efforts to control the Pacific.   The chart shows the Pacific coastline in striking detail, with dozens of place names shown. The survey route anchorages and other details are shown.  Across the top margin, five finely engraved coastal profile views provide visual landmarks for sailors. These include:

• Cabo Corrientes, viewed from offshore.
• Volcán de Colima, observed from the west, its solitary peak dominating the landscape.
• Sierra de Coyuca, an undulating line of summits serving as navigational backdrops.
• Volcán de Guatemala (Agua or Fuego), prominently shaped and significant for Central American coastal navigation.
• Volcán Viejo, another prominent cone, most likely referring to the stratovolcano now known as Izalco or perhaps Santa Ana.

These profile views were indispensable for mariners relying on visual confirmation of their bearings, and their inclusion attests to the chart’s practical purpose for naval operations. 

The Malaspina Expedition (1789–1794): A Scientific and Imperial Enterprise

The Malaspina Expedition, undertaken between 1789 and 1794, was a five-year scientific and exploratory voyage commissioned by the Spanish Crown and led jointly by Captains Alessandro Malaspina and José de Bustamante y Guerra. Modeled in spirit and ambition on the earlier expeditions of James Cook and Jean-François de La Pérouse, the mission sought to produce the first systematic scientific survey of Spain’s vast overseas territories in the Americas and the Pacific.

Departing from Cádiz on July 20, 1789, the expedition was composed of two corvettes, the Descubierta and the Atrevida, and carried a multidisciplinary team that included astronomers, hydrographers, naturalists, artists, and draftsmen. Their goal was both scientific and political: to gather empirical data that could inform reform and strengthen imperial governance, while also demonstrating Spain’s commitment to Enlightenment principles.

After crossing the Atlantic, the expedition stopped at the Río de la Plata before rounding Cape Horn and entering the Pacific Ocean. Over the next three and a half years, the ships traversed the Pacific twice and conducted extensive surveys of the western coast of the Americas—from Patagonia to Alaska. They also visited the newly founded British penal colony of Port Jackson (modern-day Sydney, Australia), making Spain one of the earliest European powers to send a formal scientific mission to the South Pacific following Britain’s initial colonization.

Among its many achievements, the expedition produced some of the most accurate hydrographic measurements of the American Pacific coastline to date. Its members recorded mountain altitudes, surveyed glaciers, mapped remote shorelines, and collected a wealth of botanical, zoological, and ethnographic material. Remarkably, it was also the first major long-distance naval voyage in which scurvy—long the scourge of maritime expeditions—was effectively prevented through improved diet and medical care.

The Malaspina Expedition stands as a landmark of Enlightenment science and imperial cartography, not only for its empirical contributions but also for its articulation of a new relationship between knowledge, power, and empire in the late 18th century.

Rarity

The chart is rare on the market.

This is the first example we have offered for sale (1992-2025).