[Map of Cuba] Plano de la gran bahía de Cárdenas y de los fondeaderos de Cayo de Piedras, Mono y Monillo, en la costa septentrional de la Isla de Cuba

Detailed original maritime chart of the Bay of Cárdenas, located about 120 kilometres from Havana, Cuba. It contains a text that provides navigation instructions, as well as depth soundings, shoals, anchorages, coastal islands and lighthouses. A discreet fleur-de-lis indicates north and in the lower left corner one can appreciate the distinctive seal of the Hydrographic Directorate with the price of the period. The Hydrographic Directorate (1797-1908) was a Spanish governmental organisation dedicated to preparing, compiling and publishing nautical charts. Its history is closely linked to that of the Hydrographic Depository. After the disappearance of the Casa de Contratación of Seville in 1790, there remained an institutional vacuum and a strong need for a body that would store, organise and publish maritime charts, especially of the new discoveries made by explorers such as Jorge Juan (1713-1773), Antonio de Ulloa (1716-1795) and Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel (1732-1795). The Hydrographic Directorate was founded in Madrid by Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán; after 1908 it was absorbed by various governmental agencies.