The Mapping of New Spain: Indigenous Cartography of the Relaciones Geográficas (review)

Book Reviews 225 The Mapping of New Spain: Indigenous Cartography of the Relaciones Geográficas. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1996 By Barbara E. Mundy Wonderfully illustrated and well-crafted, this work is a useful volume for scholars in a variety of fields. Barbara Mundy traces the development of Mexican indigenous cartography of the colonial period from a variety of directions, pointing to the multifaceted unit which was ultimately created. She acknowledges rhe influence of both European and pre-colonial cartographic rradirions in crearing the indigenous maps of the ReUciones Geográficas and also considers the implications of these maps for the diverse society which they reflect. The text of the book is clear, concise, descriptive, and analytical, directly corresponding to the accompanying figures and tables. Along with eight tables, Mundy includes 101 figures and eight colot plates of the maps of the Relaciones Geográficas. As well as reproductions of selected maps, the figures range from modern-day renderings of the regions which Mundy discusses to pages from precolonial manuscripts and are incorporated into the text wonderfully. Additionally , many of the photographic reproductions are made by Mundy herself, a testament to her abilities as a researcher and the time involved in gathering data for the project. This work studies 69 maps and includes a catalogued appendix of relevant information for each. It also includes an appendix transcribing the questionnaire on which the maps were based and a detailed index. Fat from a simple analysis of images, Mundy examines these maps from many perspectives. Included are studies of the etymology of place names and the impottance of both alphabetic and logographic script in analyzing the data. Mundy discusses the use of alphabetic script in the maps as alternately nominative, descriptive or historical in nature while the logographic script extends beyond monodimensional images into a multilayered discourse. Pictorial devices discussed by Mundy include placement on the page and the use of determinative or classificatory logographs. According to Mundy's reading of the maps, the meaning of a logograph would have changed according to the context of the map such that, in certain instances, a hill drawn on a map would indicate the physical geography of the land while in other instances it would be a symbolic representation of a town. The placement of the image was thus as important as the image itself, helping to establish both a physical geography and a social hierarchy through rhe pictorial representations of the space. The interpretation would depend upon the knowledge of the reader, enabling a polyphonic reading of the map, according to the context in which it were read and the level of pictorial and/or alphabetic literacy of the reader. Additionally, Mundy discusses the motivation behind the work and how it is that the intended reader would have shaped the information set out in the map. She examines both chorographic and geographic map-making traditions, 226 Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies the former focusing on partial or particulat views of a place while the lattet highlight the geographic features of the region. The ReUciones Geográficas maps reflecred both types of maps, depending upon the understanding of the cartographer and his perception of the intended audience. The maps sought to combine text and image into a cohesive structure, constantly influenced by the individual map-makers. This made for a wide range of maps depending upon the cartographers ' levels of training and their indigenous or Hispanic heritage or influences. The maps became a blending of two traditions into one, multi-layered image and it is this image which Mundy seeks to understand in her work. Among other things, her book examines the Spanish Imperial ideologies, native traditions, and ideologies of language and literacy as these affected the producrion of cartographic images during the colonial era. This reviewer finds little to criticize in this work, with the exception of a question which she would pose to Mundy. Repeatedly throughout the work Mundy refers ro the map-maker as "he (or she)" but it has been documented that few women had access to literacy in either pre-colonial Latin America or sixteenth century Spain. Thus the reviewer questions the necessity of gender...