1640 Americae Pars Meridionalis

This is a fine example of an early, decorative map of the South American continent. The coastlines are well detailed but the interior is filled with spurious information. Several rivers (including the Amazon and Paraguay) all have their source in the Lago de los Xarayes. The mythical Parime Lacus dominates the interior of Guyana, with the fabled golden city of El Dorado on its western shore. The map is richly embellished with ships and sea monsters in the oceans and vignettes of villages and animals on the continent. The large title cartouche features natives and indigenous animals. Blank on the verso.