228 West-Indianischer Historien Ander Theyl

Title

228 West-Indianischer Historien Ander Theyl

Illustration shows a battle of the native Indians of Trinidad with the Spanish. Reverse side shows how the indigenous Indians of the pearl island Isla Margarita defended themselves against the Spanish monks.

ca. 1628

Artist

Bry, de - Merian (1528-1598)

In 1631, Matthäus Merian and Johann Ludwig Gottfried published Historia Antipodum, a heavily abridged, single-volume version of Theodor De Bry’s 14-part America series. After De Bry’s death, his sons continued the project. Merian, a skilled engraver, later married De Bry’s daughter and collaborated with Gottfried. The Historia Antipodum reorganized numerous travel accounts into three chapters covering nature, exploration, and recent colonial developments. Merian and Gottfried significantly reworked the content, merging reports and integrating illustrations into the text. Their depiction of the natural world and Indigenous cultures—drawing in part on José de Acosta’s writings—was particularly influential. The book stands as one of the most ambitious works of early modern travel literature.

Historical Description

The island was discovered by Columbus on his third voyage in July 1498. Columbus named the island in the face of three mountain peaks Trinidad, which means Trinity. From 1552, Trinidad was under Spanish rule and remained in the Spanish crown for around 250 years.