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A detailed hand-colored engraved map of Guiana and the northern coast of South America. The map features the mythical Lake Parime in the center, surrounding regions such as Castilia del Oro, Caribana, and Brasiliae Pars. Ornate cartouches contain descriptive text in Dutch. The map is decorated with various animals (jaguar, armadillo, tapir-like "Tisnada," deer), sea monsters, and ships. At the bottom center, there are illustrations of a headless man (Acephali) and an Amazon woman with a bow. Multiple compass roses are present, and the map is bisected by the Equator (Linea Aequinoctialis).
NEW MAP
of the wondrous and gold-rich land of GUIANA, situated
under the Equinoctial Line, between Brazil and
Peru, recently visited by Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight
of England, in the years 1594, 95, and 1596.
The coasts of this map are drawn very diligently to their
latitudes and true bearings by a certain navigator who
surveyed and visited the same in the years aforementioned.
The inland provinces were charted with great effort from
both the books which, by and under the commission of the
aforementioned Raleigh, have been brought to light.
Certain characteristics of Guiana.
In Guiana, they have their winter between May and September, during which time one cannot remain here with ships: for then there are violent storms, thunder, lightning, and rising waters.
The river Orenoque rises 30 feet, and all the islands in the mouth are submerged, so that the inhabitants retreat into the trees and houses built upon them.
The Arowaccas nation is a diligent people, and mostly friends of the Spaniards.
The Iaos nation are very valiant, and great enemies of the Spaniard. These are painted on their bodies, by which one can distinguish them from the Arowaccas.
The principal goods found here are gold, precious stones, pearls, balsam oil, long pepper, ginger, sugar, frankincense, precious medicinal herbs, gum, honey, wax, and Brazilwood.
The principal goods sought here are axes, knives, and similar ironware, as well as plain linen goods.
AMAPAIA, the people here are the Iaos, friends of the Spaniard.
Iwaipanoma, these are without heads, and have their eyes in their chests; they are called by the Spaniards, Alurepani a term for headless beings.
This lake is named Parime by the Canibales nation: and by the other nation, the Iaos, it is called Sopanowini. It is a saltwater body, 200 leagues long; in it are many islands and a great multitude of canoes, or Indian small boats.
AMAZONS, from whom the River Amazones derives its name, are women who live alone. Once a year, they meet with men whom they have come to these Amazons from the surrounding provinces, about 80 miles away, in the month of April: and they stay with them for three months, during which the Amazons entertain them very kindly and serve them drinks, according to their custom. Then, after a short time, the men return to their own land. The female children they bear, these Amazons keep with them; the male children they send to the fathers. These Amazons are very brave in weapons, fighting with bows and arrows: they are also very rich, having a great quantity of gold, which they offer to their gods. This is attested by Sir Walter Raleigh.
The surrounding nation of this river is spacious, from which they go a great distance in one day up to Taiere: from where they have a path to the lake of Parime, which they take over land to their necks and carry across the land to the aforementioned lake. As heavy as their canoes are, their women carry them over land, upon their bare backs, into the lake. The Spaniard also calls this a route to El Dorado, or the Gold-rich land.
The inhabitants of this river, Wiappogo, are accustomed to hauling their canoes from one river to another, into the lake where the Amazones flows.
Cayana is a very fertile and suitable river for ships with people to enter; it is wide from above. One finds there a splendid resting place, where there are three different waters. These are two or three feet deeper than those of the Amazones; they are very rich in provisions and good for trading: one also calls this river the harbor of the rich land of Guiana; here there are also large quantities of sugar.
L I N E A A E Q U I N O C T I A L I S The Equinoctial Line (Equator)
Illustrations of local figures and wildlife
A man from the Iwaipanoma province without a head
Form of an Amazonian woman
Tiger
TISNADA A tapir-like animal
B R A S I L I A E P A R S Part of Brazil
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