440 Years Old And Filled With Footprints, These Aren't Your Everyday Maps
In 1577, King Philip II of Spain wanted to know who he was ruling and where in his vast kingdom they were. So his viceroy asked the indigenous groups in what is now Mexico to draw some maps for him.
At the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, 19 maps, nearly 440 years old, are currently on display — and they look spectacular. "Works on paper are delicate so we're only allowed to put them on display for nine months out of 10 years," explains The Blanton Museum's Carlotta Stankiewicz.
The exhibition contains work by indigenous map makers from the late 1500s — and they demonstrate a very different sense
