[Map of Paraguay] Paraguaria ou Paraguay

Detailed antique map of Paraguay published in 1714 and made by Pieter van der Aa. Although it is an original map of Paraguay, it also covers the present-day territories of Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. It contains a cartouche with figures and natural elements related to South America, a discreet compass rose with a fleur-de-lis indicating north, a pair of ships, and the orography is represented in profile. The course of the Río de la Plata stands out, and the most important cities are identified in red, such as Cochabamba, Oruro, Buenos Aires, Rioja, Mendoza, Córdoba, Santiago, São Paulo, among others. Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733) was a prolific Dutch publisher and a great compiler of voyages of exploration. Each of these voyages, made between 1246 and 1696, was published in his monumental 30-volume work titled Naauwkeurige Versameling der Gedenk-Waardigste Zee en Landreysen, na Oost en West-Indien (1706-08). He was part of a family of booksellers and publishers in Leiden, which prospered towards the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. His work showed great quality and was highly valued by his contemporaries. The maps he produced are distinguished by their cartouches and by their high level of cartographic precision, aspects that make them easily recognisable.