Outstanding example of the folio edition Sanson's map of Brazil based on Portuguese sources and with very early names of indigenous Amazonian tribes.

The cartouche is the most illuminating source for this map. It states that it details the fourteen "Capitanias" which were the administrative divisions used by the

Portuguese for governing the country. Geographically, they stretch from the mouth of the Amazon in the north to the Province of Sao Paolo in the south. The focus is mostly coastal.

Of particular note is the inclusion of the names of indigenous tribes on the map; Sanson even states that there are reports of a vast number of people in the interior of the country but that their location is uncertain, therefore he is listing them as opposed to placing them. The interior of the map is mostly blank and a convenient space for a cartouche which is much larger that is Sanson's usual custom.

The most likely source of this map are Jesuit "letters" or papers. Louis XIV was a major sponsor of the order and Jesuit documents of all types were regularly archived in his libraries. As his former geography teacher and the Geographer to the Crown, Sanson would have ready access to these reports.

Original colour. [SAM3647]