“Descripcion geographica del Obispado de la Puebla”

Attribution:

[Unknown artist]

Date:

undated

Description:

These maps of the bishopric and city of Puebla de los Ángeles were made to accompany a handwritten description of the area at the turn of the eighteenth century. The city, founded as a Spanish settlement at the midway point between Veracruz and Mexico City, received its coat of arms in 1538 from the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. The city map proudly displays its emblem—two angels flanking a castle topped with the Emperor’s initials— along with its major plazas, roads, and churches. The map of the bishopric, which extends from the Veracruz coast in the Gulf of Mexico to the port of Acapulco on the Pacific, contains a listing of its various jurisdictions, as well as the major rivers and volcanoes of the area.

Bancroft call number:

BANC MSS M-M 8

Digital image courtesy of:

The Bancroft Library