Map of the South American Hydrophylacium

This black-and-white print depicts the South American continent in a schematic, cartographic style, oriented with North at the top. The central feature is a large, circular, textured abyss labeled as the 'Hydrophylacium Andium' in the Andes mountain range. The map includes major rivers like the Amazon and Rio de la Plata, label-heavy coastlines, and a decorative cartouche at the bottom. The hatching and line work provide topographical depth to the mountain ranges and emphasize the cavernous nature of the interior lake.

This map illustrates Kircher’s 'subterranean physics' theory, which proposed that the Earth contained a vast, interconnected system of underground water reservoirs that powered the world's rivers and oceans. It is a key visual document of 17th-century natural philosophy, where empirical geography met speculative Hermetic cosmology.