Shifting landscapes
Description
The Mapa Uppsala is a map of early colonial Mexico City and its environs painted by indigenous artists circa 1541. This dissertation analyzes the facture, formal elements, and historical context of the Mapa Uppsala to recover and elevate the perspectives of the artists who created it. Through visual and historical analysis and a study of the map’s facture, this dissertation argues that the Mapa Uppsala is a visual and political statement made on behalf of the artists to help solidify a secure position in early colonial Mexican society amid dramatic cultural, environmental, and social changes. By contextualizing the map within a history of both indigenous and European mapmaking, this dissertation argues that indigenous artists harnessed compositional strategies and pictorial conventions from both traditions to effectively communicate their perception of Mexico City and its environs, simultaneously innovating cartographic production in New Spain.