Fr. Atlas: Portuguese Jesuit Cartographer Ludivico Teixeira

Mapping history
By Chris Reagle
Fri Apr 04, 2008
MATTAPOISETT - Imagine a world where you were literally at the center of it and everything beyond it was a complete mystery. Is the world flat or round? Does it have any shape at all? Now imagine trying to figure out how to navigate the unknown. That was the dilemma of early cartographers as they mapped the New World, whatever that was. People with even a passing interest in maps may be interested in knowing that the Mattapoisett Free Public Library is now in possession of at least eight ancient and historically significant maps of parts of the world, thanks to the donation of a former local man with a passion for cartography. In the library, and under the stern gaze of a portrait of George Purrington Jr., the venture capitalist who donated the money for the construction of the library in 1904,

Betts laid out the maps that span several centuries on a long wooden table. One is dated 1584 and is considered the first published map of the Azores by Ludovico (Luis) Teixeira, a Portuguese Jesuit priest and royal cartographer to Spain. In addition to his work in the Azores, Teixeira was the first European to map Japan

, Betts said. “This map was published in Abraham Ortelius’ Theatrum, (neat)' which is generally considered to be the first world atlas,” he said.

Link (here)