Grondteekening van de Baai van Carthagena, in Zuid America

Title

Grondteekening van de Baai van Carthagena, in Zuid America

Description

Map shows the bay of Bahía de Cartagena de Indias with the port city of Cartagena in Colombia, Isla de Tierra Bomba, a compass rose, drawn depths of the sea and a title cartouche.

ca. 1740

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

Colombia was discovered by Europe in 1499 by Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci. In contrast, Christopher Columbus, in whose honor the country was named "Colombia", never entered the country. The first two explorers of Colombia first came to the "La Guajira" peninsula, which they believed to be an island, first called "Isla de Coquivacoa". Other parts of the country were later u. a. Discovered, researched and often looted by Rodrigo de Bastidas and Juan de la Cosa. The first colonial bases were Santa Marta (founded in 1525) and Cartagena de Indias (founded in 1533) on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Lured by gold and emeralds, the conquistadors occupied the country. Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada penetrated the Andean region in 1537, subjugated the Chibcha and founded Santa Fe de Bogotá in 1538. Coming from the south, coming from what is now Ecuador, Sebastián de Belalcázar conquered southern Colombia. Coming from the west, the merchant Nikolaus Federmann from Ulm reached Bogotá in 1539 in order to advance the colonization of the country on behalf of the Welsers. Because of its central importance for the Spanish possessions in the north of South America, Colombia was raised in 1547 to its own province "New Granada" within the Viceroyalty of Peru, and Bogotá became the seat of a Real Audiencia. Cartagena de Indias gained immense importance as a port of call for the fleets from Spain and developed during the colonial period into one of the most important - and best-protected - ports in the new world. The country's wealth led to pirate attacks in 1544, 1560 and 1586. a. by Francis Drake, on Cartagena.