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Description:This original beautifully hand coloured copper-plate engraved antique map of the Tierra Del Fuego & the Magellan Straits at the very bottom of South America, was published in the 1642 Dutch edition of Joan Blaeus Atlas Nouvs.
General Definitions:Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stablePaper color : - off whiteAge of map color: - OriginalColors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pinkGeneral color appearance: - AuthenticPaper size: - 23in x 19in (585mm x 485mm)Plate size: - 21in x 16 1/2in (535mm x 420mm)Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)
Imperfections:Margins: - Age toningPlate area: - Age toningVerso: - Age toning
Background:Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to navigate the strait in 1520, during his global circumnavigation voyage. Because Magellan\'s ships entered it on November 1, All Saints\' Day, it was originally named Estrecho de Todos los Santos (Strait of All Saints). Later the Spanish king changed the name to Estrecho de Magallanes in honor of Magellan. Since its discovery the Spanish Empire and the Kingdom of Chile saw it as its southern boundary. The first Spanish colonization attempt was led by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa who founded Nombre de Jesús and Rey Don Felipe on its northern shores. The cities suffered severe food shortages, and years afterwards in 1587 the English navigator Sir Thomas Cavendish landed at the site of Rey Don Felipe and found only ruins of the settlement. He renamed the place Port Famine. Other early explorers included Francis Drake among others.