Period

16th Century

Featured Items

Detail of an engraved map shows mountainous topography and text in Italian.

Descrittione di tutto il Peru

Paulo di Forlani

circa 1564-1572

Detail of a printed text shows an illustration of four naked Natives surrounded by trees. One holds a cross bow and another holds a large stick. Text in Dutch is also visible.

Van der nieuwer werelt

Amerigo Vespucci

1509

Detail from a printed book shows text in Spanish reading "Los aguacates es uno fruta en las Indias muy preciada, y medicinal."

Secretos de chirurgia

Pedro Arias de Benavides

1567

Detail of a colored manuscript atlas shows a coastal region and labels in Latin. Other details include drawings of castles and mountains.

[Portolan atlas] / Vesconte de Maiolo ciuis Janue conposuy

Vesconte Maggiolo

1511

Detail of a printed book shows full-page illustrations of plants. Text in Latin also visible.

Aromatum, et simplicium aliquot medicamentorum apud Indos

Garcia de Orta

1567

Detail from a printed texts shows a full-page illustration of Fort Caroline. Details include topography, trees, and text in French.

Plan of Fort Caroline

1565

Printed text shows a circular diagram below text in Latin.

Breves in sphaeram meditatiunculae

Bartholomaeus Mercator

1563

Detail of a printed books shows text in Latin and decorative typography.

De Aequinoctiorum Solsticiorumque Inventione

Albert Pigghe

1520

Lecture

Historia del libro en lenguas originarias de América

Tuesday, October 27 at 2:00pm

Image of Guaxtepec (relaciones geograficas)

New Digital Item-of-the-Month series begins this week

October 5, 2020

Native Americans of present-day Mexico dance around two drummers

Picturing the Past: Indigenous Expressions in Colonial Mexico

Spring 2020

engraved map of the island of Hispaniola with present-day Haiti and Santo Domingo, including sea monsters, ships, and a compass

Collections Up Close

L'isole piu famose del mondo…, 1572

February 25, 2020

JCB Fellow Juan Cobo Betancourt views an exhibition at the John Carter Brown Library

Our Fellows

Juan Cobo Betancourt, Donald L. Saunders Fellow

November 25, 2019

Plan of the fort of the French in Guanabara Bay

Fellow's Talk

How French Poems Become English

Wednesday, February 13 at 4:00pm

America Meredith (Cherokee), London Calling 1762 (2012)