1826 Charles Smith Map of Mexico and the West Indies

This is a striking old color example of Charles Smith rare 1826 map of Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces from North Carolina south to northern South America, embracing the entirety of the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the West Indies. Islands throughout the West Indies are labeled, including individual islands within the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. Cities, towns, and villages, along with coastal capes and bays, are labeled in Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico (Porto Rico), and many of the Lesser Antilles. In Mexico, cities, towns, and villages appear, and black dots mark significant mines. In Central America, inland detail includes a few cities and towns. Rivers are illustrated throughout, including the Rio Grande del Norte (Rio Grande) in modern-day Texas and the Mississippi. Only rivers and state names (without borders) appear within the U.S. Text below the title and scale notes which islands were the colonial possessions of which European power.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by J. Smith, engraved by J. Pickett, and published by Charles Smith in 1826. We note four examples cataloged in OCLC: Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library in San Antonio, Texas.