1897 Garcia Cubas Map of Tabasco

A colorful map of the Mexican state of Tabasco, published in 1897 for the Atlas Geográfico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Among other features, it highlights the state's important archaeological sites, which have proved instrumental in understanding pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures.

A Closer Look

The state is displayed divided into its constituent parts (municipalities), with cities and towns, haciendas and ranches, ports, roads, waterways, and mountains labeled. At top-left is an inset map and nautical chart of Frontera, the state's main port, which was undergoing an economic boom at the time. The state's capital, here as San Juan Bautista, was renamed Villahermosa in 1916.

Archaeological Sites

Archaeological ruins are also indicated, reflecting Tabasco's importance for the study of pre-Columbian cultures. However, at the time of publication, knowledge of the Olmec culture, the earliest Mesoamerican culture dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE, was minimal (the critically important Olmec artifacts at La Venta, in the far west of Tabasco near the Tonalá River, were not discovered until nearly 30 years after this map's publication). Therefore, the ruins mentioned here would all be Mayan sites, including at Comalcalco, notable for being the only known major Mayan city built with bricks instead of limestone.

Publication History and Census

This map was published in Mexico City in 1897 by Vega y Cie. It is based on the 1886 work of Antonio García Cubas and was updated with additional border work for the 1897 issue of the Atlas Geográfico de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. The atlas is represented in several institutional collections but is extremely scarce on the market. The individual maps, likewise, are scarce to the market.