Rare Jesuit Map Published after Suppression of Society of Jesus

"Mappa Paraquariae in Multis a me Correcta...",

A very rare map of the present-day regions of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina from Historia de Abiponibus by Jesuit Martin Dobrizhoffer. The map follows the Parana River from the Rio de la Plata north to a region of annual flooding noted as previously known as Lacum de Xareyes. A legend below the compass rose identifies cities, missions, destroyed locales, and significant rivers. Although numerous Jesuit missions are noted throughout the region, they are only identified as pagum, a neutral term for missions. This is actually a sign of the deteriorating social climate for Jesuits within the Habsburg territories following the death of Maria Theresa in 1780. The work of the Jesuits was heavily suppressed, causing Dobrizhoffer, who published his work from Vienna, to omit any signs of the Society of Jesus on this map. The typical symbol of the Society of Jesus is replaced by the royal coat of arms of Spain. Despite these omissions, this map was considered the most accurate map of the region published in Europe at the time.

Dobrizhoffer (1717–1791) was a Jesuit missionary from Austria who spent 18 years among the indigenous Guarani and Abipone peoples. After the Jesuits were expelled from Spanish possessions in 1767, he established himself in Vienna, where he published his three-volume work on the Abipones Tribe, discussing their language, costumes, and natural history. Engraved by Franz Assner.

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Condition: B+

A crisp impression, issued folding on paper with a "CH" watermark, with minor offsetting, a printer's crease at top left, and a binding trim at left. There is very light toning and a few spots of foxing.