Tourist Guide to the North-East and Brazil — Bahia, Salvador and More

Historical Maps of Brazil and the World

The history of Brazil can be told through maps that represent its territorial transformations over the centuries.

Since the beginning of the 16th century, various cartographies have depicted indigenous scenes, fauna, vegetation, and names attributed to the territory — such as Terra de Santa Cruz, Terra Incógnita, Terra dos Papagaios, and Brasil.

• Early 16th century: maps such as those by Giovanni Ruysch (c. 1507) and Waldseemüller’s chart (1507) were among the first to represent the Americas and name it ‘America.’
• 1500 — reports: the Letter/report by Pero Vaz de Caminha is a document of discovery (not a map) and, together with descriptors such as André Thevet, provides ethnographic observations and observations on bartering between Europeans and indigenous peoples.
• First detailed coastlines: maps such as Cantino’s (1502) show the Brazilian coast with greater precision and helped to establish initial place names.
• 16th century — European cartographers: authors such as Gastaldi, Ortelius and Mercator produced maps that recorded territorial disputes and various names; Mercator (1569) introduced the projection that influenced global navigation (not specific to Brazil).
• Foreign presence and barter: representations documenting the French (e.g., Antarctic France), English, and Dutch presence on the Brazilian coast, as well as commercial contact with indigenous peoples, begin to appear.
• Iberian Union (1580–1640): the Philippine administration (Philippine Crown) encouraged the updating of Luso-Brazilian cartography; maps by Portuguese authors, such as João Teixeira Albernaz I, record fortresses, settlements and captaincies.
• 17th century — Portuguese manuscript cartography: noteworthy are the maps by Albernaz II (c. 1666), which detail the coast, São Paulo and the Jesuit missions in the south.
• Dutch cartography (1624–1654): Dutch cartographic production on Pernambuco/Olinda and Recife is significant; some maps from the period (associated with the Maurits period) document occupations and fortifications — check specific titles/attributions according to the source.
• 18th century — French cartography: Guillaume de L’Isle and Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville produced maps correcting positions and longitudes previously calculated by the Portuguese; De L’Isle’s work influenced negotiations such as the Treaty of Madrid (1750), which generated extensive cartography of the borders.
• 19th century: provincial, hydrological, and border cartographic production grows. Among minor and handwritten works are regional guides and atlases — for example, references to an atlas/manuscript entitled Guia dos Caminhantes (1817) should be verified in primary sources before definitive citation.
• Late 19th century / early 20th century: systematic surveys and military and civil mapping increased territorial accuracy. The publication entitled Carta geographica do Brasil (Engineering Club, 1922) consolidates part of this work — it is recommended to indicate the author/edition when citing.

Significant Historical Maps of Brazil

• Map by Juan de la Cosa — c. 1500: carta-mundi showing the coastline of the Americas, including northeastern Brazil.
• Letter/account by Pero Vaz de Caminha — 1500: account of the arrival and discovery of Brazil (not a map).
• Cantino Map — 1502: first European map to show the Brazilian coast in detail.
• Map by Lopo Homem — c. 1519: Portuguese cartographic map from the early 16th century (associated with Portuguese Atlantic production; avoid direct attribution to the ‘Miller Atlas’ without reference).
• Mercator Map — 1569: introduced the Mercator projection; influential in global cartography (not specific to Brazil).
• Map by João Teixeira Albernaz I — 1640: representations of the captaincies and the Atlantic coast.
• Map by Guillaume Delisle — 1703: detailed map of Brazilian territory widely used in Europe.
• Maps of the Treaty of Madrid — 1750: maps used in the redefinition of Portuguese-Spanish borders.
• Map of the Empire of Brazil — c. 1822: initial representations of the territory after independence.
• Cruls Mission — 1892–1894: survey that informed the choice of the future capital (Brasília).

Historical maps are essential tools for understanding the territorial, political, and economic evolution of Brazil, from colonisation to the consolidation of the Republic.