Zulia. Mapa del Estado

Rare map of the state of Zulia in Venezuela, drawn by Aurelio Beroes and published by G.W. and C.B. Colton. It marks the return of the Colton family to South America after their disastrous experience in Bolivia. J.H. Colton, at the urging of the Bolivian government, published the country’s first national map in 1859. However, the changes of regime left Colton unpaid, forcing him into bankruptcy that same year. The company managed to stay afloat, but this came at a cost: allowing Johnson, his principal competitor, to use the plates of his renowned maps. The fact that the president of the state, Jesús Muñoz Tebar, commissioned the Colton family to publish the map meant that he intended it to be printed with the best quality available, regardless of cost. It is likely that he was celebrating the new autonomy of the state (1890), which was reflected in its new name: Sovereign State of Zulia. Another reason was the impact of the Spanish Arbitral Award of Queen María Cristina (1891), which resolved the border problems between Venezuela and Colombia. This award is widely considered favourable to Colombia, since the Guajira peninsula (north of Maracaibo) became mostly Colombian, whereas the earlier maps typically showed a divided territory. The map takes this new reality into account. No record was found in WorldCat or in Rarebookhub. It comes from the private collection of Malcolm Deas.