Mar de las Antillas Hoja II Carta de las Islas de Santo Domingo y Puerto Rico

Large-format sea chart of the Antilles, with special detail on the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Spain had a particular interest in this area, since the island of Puerto Rico was still under its dominion. It was made by the Hydrographic Directorate, the administration that succeeded in 1787 the renowned Casa de Contratación de las Indias. This chart exhibits signs of use, with some stains and manuscript annotations, which suggests that it had real use at sea. Nautical charts were essential tools aboard ships and were often profusely annotated with navigation notes. After the publication of updated charts, the old versions were generally discarded quickly, which explains their current scarcity. The present chart is extremely rare on the market. Full title: Carta de las Islas de Santo Domingo y Puerto Rico, con parte de las Lucayas y Caribe, según los trabajos más fidedignos nacionales y extranjeros.