Pianta del Porto d'Acapulco sopra la Costa de Messico nel Mar de Sud

Small chart of Acapulco, historically the second most important port in New Spain after Vera Cruz.

Acapulco's deep water bay and advantageous position on the Pacific coast made it the main port of call for Spanish trade from the Far East, particularly the famous Manila Galleons from the Philippines. Indeed, the plan specifically marks the mooring dock for the Galleons.

As well as those moorings, the plan shows the fortress, the settlement, a gun battery and the road to Mexico City. These features are labelled with a key present on the left of the map.

This map was included in the "Gazettiere Americano", a work issued at the end of the Seven Years War, focusing on the New World, particularly the West Indies and North America. It was edited by Marco Coltellini in Livorno and the maps are based on mixture of French and English maps. Jacques Nicholas Bellin was the main French source while the English maps seem to be sourced from several 18th century gazetteers including the Gentleman's Magazine, the London Magazine and the Universal Magazine. The cartographers usually associated with these publications were John Gibson, Emanuel Bowen and his apprentice Thomas Kitchin and Thomas Jefferys. [WIND4355]