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Description

Nice example of Buchon's map of Guatemala, published in Paris in 1825. The map also shows Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Belize is denominated as Colonie Anglaise de Balize, referring to its status as a British colony.

At the time of the creation of this map, many of these countries were part of the United Provinces of Central America (also called the Federal Republic of Central America). Independence would not come until 1838 for Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica, while Guatemala would remain in the union until 1841. Belize would not become a sovereign state until 1981 (although British troops would remain to fight off possible Guatemalan incursions for several further years).

The plate is surrounded by text describing the state, its population, governors, religion, education, commerce, climate topography, and other details.

Condition Description
Original hand-color.
Jean Alexandre Buchon Biography

Jean Alexandre Buchon (1791-1849) was a French scholar and historian. Born as the French Revolution raged, Buchon was dedicated to recovering France’s history in order to help the country heal and grow. He gathered French stories and published them as part of Collection des chroniques nationales franciases ecrites en langue vulgaire, du XIe au XVIe siècle (4 vols, 1824-1829). He also compiled and published an exploration collection and several histories, particularly about medieval France.

For geography, his most important contribution was publication of the French edition of Carey & Lea’s American Atlas in 1825. Each page of the atlas includes highly detailed text about the state or territory depicted, as well as a map of the area. The French edition is generally considered in high regard as compared to other editions, as it has quality paper and superior engraving.