1827 Edition of Molina's Map of the Araucana Region of Chile

This is a rare 1827 map of the Mapuche regions of south-central Chile based on the 1795 cartography of naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina - the first to map the lands of the Mapuche in any detail.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces from Salinas in the north (around Punta de Lobos) to Niebla in the south and as far east as the volcanos of Villarica and Osorno. An inset at top offers a broader context, covering all of Chile as mapped by Molina in 1788. At bottom, a secondary inset details the Strait of Magellan. The main map is filled with rivers, and the mountainous terrain is evoked pictorially, including fiery volcanos. Roads are highlighted in yellow; bodies of water are green. The map is annotated in its margins to aid in the location of specific missions.

This map was compiled for Giuseppe Sallusti's travelogue and history of the Catholic missions in the region, published in Rome in 1827. The cartography is materially unchanged from the 1795 map that appeared in Molina's Compendio de la Historia Geográfica, Natural y Civil del Reino de Chile (Madrid).

Molina's maps stand apart from other early maps of Chile in that they are based on the firsthand reports of a local. Molina's work as a naturalist and ornithologist took him deep into the country, and the map reflects a profound knowledge of the interior. Molina wrote extensively on the Mapuche and his theories on their origins, which led to this focused map of their ancestral lands.

The Mapuche Peoples

The Mapuche are an indigenous people from southern Chile and Argentina, known for their strong cultural identity and resistance against colonial and state pressures. Historically, they fiercely resisted Spanish conquest in the 16th century and maintained significant autonomy until the late 19th century when they were forcibly integrated into Chile and Argentina. Today, the Mapuche continue to advocate for land rights, cultural preservation, and political recognition, facing ongoing challenges from state policies and corporate interests.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by Juan Olivieri for inclusion in Sallusti's 1827 Storia delle missioni apostoliche dello stato de Chile . The work is rare and appears in only two institutions in OCLC. The only separate example of this edition of the map appears in the Biblioteca National de France.