Carte Geographique, Statistique, et Historique du Mexique

Detailed French map of the First Mexican Empire.

This is one of the first available maps to show the independent First Empire of Mexico, having thrown off the yoke of Spanish colonialism just a few years prior to publication, in 1821. The new country can be seen extending from approximately the 43rd parallel in the north to the Yucatan Peninsula in the south.

Fine topographic detail presents the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast Ranges running vertically almost the entire length of the image, while text flanking either side details Mexico’s climate, geography, political organization, and population (relying heavily on Humboldt). Scattered settlements and Native American villages throughout the north reflect the rural composition of the region.

As Americans from the east began to settle there (especially in the Provincia de Texas), tensions rose between local Tejanos, Mexican administrators, and the new “residents” – a direct factor in the outbreak of the Mexican-American war just over two decades later. The map was published in Paris by Jean Alexandre Buchon in 1825 and was based on an earlier map of Mexico by Carey & Lea.