Piano della Citta Rada e Porto di Chagre

Plan of the Harbour and Roads of Chagres, at the mouth of the Chagres River and at this time, the most important port on the northern shore of Panama.

Although now abandoned, in the 18th century, Chagres was one of ports of call for the Spanish Flota or Treasure fleet which would call at the harbour to collect gold and silver from Peru. It was strongly fortified and a favourite target for pirates.

The source for this map was the plan by Jacques Nicholas Bellin in the "Histoires des Voyages". This example was issued in the "Gazettiere Americano", an Italian edition of the "American Gazetteer". The editor was Marco Coltellini, who included many more illustrations and maps than the original English edition. Bellin was a major source for Coltellini although Italian engravers tended to be more flamboyant and illustrative than their more academic French counterparts. [WIND4384]