Cary, John “Mexico.” From "Cary’s New Universal Atlas"

John Cary. “Mexico.”  From Cary’s New Universal Atlas. 

London: J. Cary, 1816. 11 3/8 x 9 1/8.  Engraving.  Original hand color.  Very good condition.

The map was produced by John Cary (ca. 1754-1835), the founder of the famous English cartographic firm.  From about mid-way through the eighteenth century, British cartographers were the best in the world, and the maps produced by Cary are good examples of the quality they achieved.    It shows Mexico just after the Hidalgo/Morelos revolt against Spanish rule, the precursor to Mexican independence in 1821.  The detail includes rivers, mountains, and the political divisions of Mexico.  At that time Mexico included Texas, part of Potosi, and New Mexico, running up the valley of the Rio Grande to beyond Santa Fe.