COLLECTION NAME:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Record
Author:
Mision de la Compania de Jesus
Date:
1887
Short Title:
Mapa Etnográfico de Mindanao y Joló
Publisher:
Litografía de M. Pérez,
Publisher Location:
Manila
Type:
Separate Map
Obj Height cm:
38
Obj Width cm:
50
Note:
Full plate dimensions.
Country:
Philippines
Region:
Mindanao Island (Philippines)
Subject:
Ethnography; Nationality; Race
Full Title:
Mapa Etnográfico de Mindanao y Joló
List No:
16088.000
Publication Author:
Mision de la Compania de Jesus
Pub Date:
1887
Pub Title:
Mapa Etnográfico de Mindanao y Joló
Pub Note:
"Fascinating Spanish Jesuit map of Mindanao, Philippines, published in Manila in 1887. The ethnographic and religious map is especially interesting as the island is the home of a large Muslim minority, making the transition between the Catholic population of the Philippines to the north and the Muslim world (Indonesia) to the south. While Mindanao was (and still is) primarily Catholic, two other specific religious groups are shown in this chromolithography: the 'Moros' and the 'antiguos cristianos' (old Christians). The first group refers to the Muslim population, using a strangely outdated and inaccurate term, as the Moors were primarily inhabitants of Mauritania, and by extension usually refer to the Muslim population of the Eastern Maghreb. The other group is the Visayas (Northeast), whose kingdoms were among the first to convert to Christianity, while maintaining a strong spirit of independence. The map also shows the location of Jesuit missions on the island, less than three decades after their return to the Philippines: probably the most influential Catholic order in the archipelago during the first colonial era, the Society of Jesus was expelled in 1768, like all missions of that order from the entire Spanish Empire. The 'restoration' of the Jesuit missions was allowed in 1859 and they were mainly established in Mindanao. According to the Biography of the Philippines Islands (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1903), this map was published in the 'Cartas de los padres de la Compañia de Jesús'. Those 'Letters' were published in Manila and sent to (would be) patrons. Due to their expulsion, the Jesuits were lacking the traditional resources of the established religious congregations, and they were constantly looking for sponsors to finance their missions. In those 'Letters', the religious congregation would typically explain how missionaries would reach remote communities to spread the gospel, impacting the local population and mass-converting whole villages. This map sets the Company as being engaged in evangelization in a familiar context for Spanish readers, between the Church and the Philippines' Moors. A sort of reacting of the Crusade or the Reconquista. It also recalls a core Jesuit mission: promoting education and research. The production of such detailed and updated map was probably meant to show the depth of the company?s knowledge of the island, positioning itself both as an efficient actor of evangelization and a reliable partner for the Spanish colonial power. Rarety: maps printed in the Philippines during the Spanish rule are extremely rare in the market. None seems to have appeared in auctions in the last decades. We could locate just two other copies of that map, both in public institutions, in Madrid (BNE) and Paris (BNF). A German version of that map was published in Gotha by Justus Perthes, in 1891. Condition: vivid colors, some oxidation mainly in the margins, a restored tear (without loss but still visible) entering the cartouche, some defects in the former folds. Imprenta y Litografía de M. Pérez, hijo; C. Bücker Lit.; Manila; 1887. " (Bolivar Old Prints, 2024)
Pub List No:
16088.000
Pub Type:
Separate Map
Pub Height cm:
38
Pub Width cm:
50
Image No:
16088000.jp2
Authors:
Mision de la Compania de Jesus
