The Marañon Or Amazon River With the Mission of the Society of Jesus. (El Gran Rio Marañon O Amazonas Con La Mission De La Compañia De Iesus) 1707

Old map of Brazil.

1728), a Jesuit missionary who mapped the basin of the Amazon River. Born in the province of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), Fritz became a priest in 1673. He was sent to Quito in present-day Ecuador as a missionary in 1684 and spent the next 40 years ministering to the native people of the Upper Marañon region. He began mapping the region as part of a project to clarify the borders of missionary lands, Spanish lands, and Portuguese lands. He later undertook a project to chart the course of the Amazon. Despite having no training as a cartographer and using only very primitive instruments, Fritz completed a relatively accurate chart of the area. He was the first to follow the Marañon, a tributary of the Amazon, to its source. This map was first printed in Quito in 1707 and later extensively copied in Europe.

Created by Samuel Fritz in 1707.

• Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
• Original resource extent: 1 map ; 31 x 39 centimeters.
• Original resource at: National Library of Brazil.
• Content in Spanish.
• Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Map Tags

1686 To 1707

1707

Amazon River

Brazil

Cartography

Jesuits

Map

Samuel Fritz