1825 Sidney Hall Map of Gran Colombia

A rare 1825 map of Gran Columbia issued by Sidney Hall to illustrate Charles Stuart Cochrane's narrative of two years spent traveling there. Cochrane, a British Royal Navy officer, traveled to Columbia in 1823, when the new Republic was at its height, just one year after the Constitution of Cúcuta and before infighting began to tear the vast territory apart. His goal was to secure a trading privilege to improve its pearl fisheries. This is one of the earliest maps of Gran Columbia published at the Republic's peak.

A Closer Look

The map illustrates Gran Colombia at its height, under the governance of Simón Bolívar, one year after the Constitution of Cúcuta and before infighting began to tear the vast territory apart. Coverage embraces from the Pacific to the Essequibo River and from the Caribbean Sea to the Amazon, thus incorporating a vast territory including modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama, as well as part of Peru and Brazil. It is meticulously detailed throughout, showing roads, river systems, topography, and political boundaries.

The cartography closely follows the 1823 Zea Map of Colombia (cf. Colombia-baldwincradockjoy-1823), itself derivative of the northwestern portions of the 1814 John Arrowsmith's large-scale general map of South America.

Gran Colombia

Gran Colombia was a republic that encompassed much of northern South America, including present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. Established in 1819 after the successful liberation from Spanish rule, Gran Colombia was led by Simón Bolívar, a key figure in Latin America's independence movements. The Republic aimed to unite the diverse regions under a single federal government, promoting stability and prosperity. Despite initial enthusiasm, the vast territory and regional differences posed significant challenges to governance. Internal conflicts and differing visions for the Republic's future ultimately led to its dissolution in 1831. During its brief existence, Gran Colombia symbolized the dream of a unified and independent Latin America.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved and printed by Sydney Hall to illustrate Charles Stuart Cochrane's 1825 Journal of a Residence and Travels in Colombia, during the Years 1823 and 1824, published in London by Henry Colburn. Overpopulation of digital resources in OCLC makes an institutional census of the work impossible, but we note that it occasionally appears on the market.