Ortelius Map of New Spain 1608 — Antique Map Print, Framed

The story of this map

Despite its title, this is not a map of Spain. It is New Spain, the vast Spanish viceroyalty in the Americas, and this sheet by Abraham Ortelius shows its western heartland, the country around Guadalajara and Lake Chapala running out to the Pacific. The plate was first engraved in 1579 for Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum; our print comes from a hand-coloured copy in the 1608 Italian edition, the Theatro del Mondo, published in Antwerp by Jan Baptist Vrients after Ortelius’ death.

It is a beautiful object. The land is scattered with tiny town symbols and shaded hills, the rivers branch out towards the coast, and the big lake sits at the centre. The strapwork cartouches, curling like cut leather, are pure Antwerp Renaissance, and the hand colouring has aged to soft greens and ochres.

Historically this is one of the earliest printed maps to focus on a region of Mexico, made only a few decades after the Spanish conquest, when European knowledge of the interior was still fresh and patchy. The place names are a mix of Spanish and indigenous-derived spellings, which is a story in itself.

It belongs to our Antique Maps of Europe collection by way of its Antwerp origins, and pairs well with our Ortelius world map or the California-as-an-island map. Wonderful in a dining room or a study for anyone with a connection to Jalisco or the Mexican west. Each print is made to order on archival matte paper and framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Ortelius Map of New Spain, 1608: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration plan: crop scan margins, balance colour cast and levels while keeping the paper tone, reduce any show-through from the Italian text printed on the verso, remove library stamps and scanner artefacts if present, gentle sharpening. No repainting of original content.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

Is this an original antique map?

No. It is a new archival print of a restored high-resolution scan of the 1608 map held by the BPL Leventhal collection at Boston Public Library. We never sell originals.

Is this a map of Spain?

No. Despite the Latin title, Hispania Nova is New Spain, the Spanish viceroyalty in the Americas. This map shows the western part of what is now Mexico, around Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, out to the Pacific coast.

What is printed on it?

Ortelius' map of western New Spain from a plate first dated 1579, printed in the 1608 Italian edition of his atlas, the Theatro del Mondo, and coloured by hand. Rivers, towns, mountains and the Pacific coastline are shown, with the decorative strapwork cartouches typical of Ortelius.

How big is the map on the sheet, and does it come framed?

The map fills the sheet apart from a slim margin; the source is a landscape sheet of about 33 x 49 cm, so it suits 16x20, 18x24 and 24x32 best. We offer archival matte paper on its own, stretched canvas, or a frame in black, white or natural oak, made and shipped from the country of delivery.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Ortelius World Map, 1579

Abraham Ortelius · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

California as an Island, 1650

Joan Vinckeboons · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
16×12 in	41×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
18×12 in	46×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
20×16 in	51×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×16 in	61×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
20×20 in	51×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
24×18 in	61×46 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×24 in	61×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
30×20 in	76×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
30×24 in	76×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
32×24 in	81×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
36×24 in	91×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
40×30 in	102×76 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
48×32 in	122×81 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Ortelius Map of New Spain, 1608

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print