The Piri Reis Map of 1513

5. South America

5 South America The place-names along the east coast of South America on the Piri Reis map are those the Portuguese bestowed during their voyages of exploration in the early sixteenth century. These same names commonly appeared on maps derived either directly or indirectly from the Portuguese, for instance, Kunstmannno. 2 (c. 1502-4), Cantino (1502), Canerio1 (c. 1505), Kunstmann no. 3 (c. 1502-8), Waldseemüller (1507), Pesaro (c. 1505-10), and Egerton MS 2803, fol. 9v (c. 1508-13). Most of these place-names are still used today. The island named Ile de tirnam delonce is the island of Fernäo (Fernamo or Fernando) de Loronha on the early maps. After the Loronha family married into the Noronha family, it became known as Ilha de Fernando de Noronha. 35 Table 3. Place-Names on South America and the Southern Continent Key Letter Y Z AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH II JJ KK LL MM Transliteration from the Map Ile de tirnatn delonce Santalo ka Kav de Santa Agostini San Megali San Francesko Port doll Totel Sante Abraklok Kav Friyo Sano Saneyro Katino Izle Matos Ilde Desane Ilde Viyole II de Sara Probable Identification Ilha Fernando de Noronha Cabo de Sao Roque Cabo S. Aostinho San Miguel Rio Sao Francisco Porto Real Bahia de Todos os Santos Abrolhos Cabo Frió Rio de Janeiro Cananea ? ? Viola Serra Santalo kay the spelling for Santa Roque, i.e., modern Sao Roque, may be connected to "sanlique," the name for Santa Roque on the Egerton MS2803, fol. 9r map of c. 1508-i3.2 As will be seen later, the Piri Reis map shares a significant place-name with the Egerton MS 2803, fol. 8r map and may indicate that these two maps shared at least one common source. Abraklok is Piri Reis's rendition of Abrolhos, Portuguese for "Open the eyes," meaning "Look out!" (a warning of rocks or shoals) and the name of one of the extensive shoals on the east coast of Brazil at 18° S.3 Sano Saneyro (or Sanu Saniyru) may be Rio de Janeiro, and its appearance on the Piri Reis map would be the earliest occurrence of that famous placename on any surviving map.4 Its next appearance, as Rio paniero, is on the Spanish-made Turin map of c. 1523.Sano suggests the Portuguese seno (sinus or bay).5 The name Rio de Janeiro (or might it have first been named Seno de Rio de Janeiro, i.e., Bayof the Riverof January, or Seno de Janeiro, i.e., Bayof January, by the Portuguese?) was given to the beautiful bay in the early sixteenth century, presumablyby Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512), who served under the Portuguese at this time. Katino—or Cataniu,6 or katanio>7 or Qatinu*—maybe Cananea, the south36 t THE PIRI REIS MAP OF 1513 ernmost point reached by Vespucci,9 later known as Cananor and Cananéia, on the coast of Brazil at about 25°S.10 The delineation of South America and the names upon it are typical for a map of its type and time, that is, a manuscript map of the early sixteenth century based on Portuguese source maps. The two methods for making maps at the time were drawing by hand (manuscript) and printing (woodcut and copper-plate engraving). A survey of the extant manuscript maps based on Portuguese sources of the first quarter of the sixteenth century confirms that the sources of Piri Reis's delineation of South America were Portuguese manuscript maps or maps derived from the Portuguese, possibly through the Italians , corroborating the information he wrote on the map in inscription no. 6. Only a few manuscript maps from the Portuguese or derived from the Portuguese depicting South America have survived from before 1513. Those that are certainly Portuguese are the Cantino planisphere of 1502, the Kunstmann no. 3 map, and the chart of Brazil by Francisco Rodrigues of c. 1511-13. Those which are certainly based on Portuguese sources for the depiction of the Brazilian coastline include the Kunstmannno. 2 map, the Canerio, the Pesaro, the King-Hamy-Huntington, and the Egerton MS 2803, fol. 9r maps. The relatively realistic delineation of the coastline of the northeast elbow and east coast of Brazil on the Piri Reis map indicates that the Portuguese source map for this region can be dated after 1502.The conventional manner in which this...