Rare Jesuit Map Published after Suppression of Society of Jesus

"Mappa Regionis Taruma & Mbae Vera",

A very rare map of the Chaco region of Paraguay from Historia de Abiponibus by Jesuit Martin Dobrizhoffer. The map shows the area between the Parana River and the Paraguay River, identifying streams, Native American settlements and missions. The native settlements are identified with triangles and are noted as "barbarians." A vignette depicts a Native American with a bow and spear and a monkey-like animal.

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. His work was published during a time of 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 his work.

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Condition: B+

Issued folding with light toning and soiling. There is minor offsetting from an opposing page of text in the left blank margin.