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Description

Rare separately published chart of Puerto Rico, published by the Spanish Hydrographical Office in Madrid, in 1842.

The map provides a fine depiction of the topographical features of Puerto Rico in the interior, a well as excellent coastal details.

Off shore shoals are shown, along with soundings, anchorages and other sailing details.

A nice example of this scarce chart, which appears quite infrequently on the market.

Condition Description
Minor discoloration at centerfold
Direccion Hidrografica de Madrid Biography

The Dirección de Hidrografía, or the Directorate of Hydrographic Works, was established in 1797. Its roots were in the Casa de Contratación, founded in 1503 in Sevilla, which housed all the charts of the Spanish Empire and oversaw the creation and maintenance of the padrón real, the official master chart. The Casa, now in Cadiz, was shuttered in 1790, but Spain still needed a hydrographic body. In response, the Dirección was created in 1797. One of its first projects was the publication of charts from the Malaspina Expedition (1789-1794). The Dirección oversaw not only publication, but also surveying. The Dirección was abolished in the early twentieth century, when their work was distributed to other organizations.