BajaNomad

A 'new' old map to share: 1768 BAJA CALIFORNIA

David K - 5-12-2012 at 11:41 AM

Of course, it was just called 'California' back then... This comes from a 45 year old book on the letters from a Jesuit explorer, Wenceslaus Linck. The map was drawn by 'Alzate' and uses much of the data from Venegas' 1757 Jesuit map, with additions and some changes.

Of interest to me, the missions north of San Ignacio shown: Dolores del Norte (Santa Gertrudis), Magdalena (!), San Borja and Santa Maria.

Showing Magdalena and San Borja together is unique! Another vote for Magdalena being the mystery site by Las Animas Bay: http://vivabaja.com/109 a proposed by Choral Pepper.

Here is the full map, followed by close ups:



TOP LEFT:


TOP RIGHT:


BOTTOM LEFT:


BOTTOM RIGHT:


NORTHWEST CLOSE UP:


L.A. BAY REGION:


SOUTH REGION:



I hope a few of you will enjoy this look back in time, as much as I! 1768 was the year when the Jesuits were arrested and removed from the California Peninsula and the Franciscan Order replaced them, after a few months when the military were in place at the missions (some).

A million thanks to the Baja Nomad who shared this with me!

Mexitron - 5-12-2012 at 11:57 AM

Cool! What are the islands off Pto. Xavier (San Quintin?) on the first west coast map? I see Isla Geronimo and maybe San Martin...possibly one is the little islet off Santa Rosalillita but there's still some extras. Guadalupe, Cedros, Natividad, Todos Santos, and Coronados are accounted for.

David K - 5-12-2012 at 12:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexitron
Cool! What are the islands off Pto. Xavier (San Quintin?) on the first west coast map? I see Isla Geronimo and maybe San Martin...possibly one is the little islet off Santa Rosalillita but there's still some extras. Guadalupe, Cedros, Natividad, Todos Santos, and Coronados are accounted for.


Steve, I would think that some existed only in the mind of the map maler!? Pto. Xavier is shown south of Geronimo, so not San Quintin... But, maybe the island is shown on the wrong side of the bay? These antique maps are great for seeing the history of place names, but not too accurate for navigation, me thinks!

Jack Swords - 5-12-2012 at 12:25 PM

Thanks David...Wenceslaus Linck was a missionary who founded and ran Mission San Borja. He explored N. Baja to determine if Baja was an island or not. He was expelled with the other Jesuit missionaries in 1768. I have a friend in La Paz named Wenceslaus, we call him Winzy, hard to pronounce.

LaPazGringo - 5-12-2012 at 01:45 PM

David, is that from a Dawson's book? I have two of them (Burrus on Jesuit Relations and the letters of Baegert) and immensely enjoyed every word of both of them. I got them both at Allende Books here in La Paz. I also really enjoyed "Baja: Land of Lost Missions" by Marquis McDonald, even as much as any of the ESG books!

Please keep me in mind when you come to La Paz and let's coordinate some book loaning if you're into that kind of thing. If I enjoyed reading Baegert criticize and complain about everything then reading the other guys from back then must be much more light reading. :lol:

[Edited on 5-12-2012 by LaPazGringo]

David K - 5-12-2012 at 04:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by LaPazGringo
David, is that from a Dawson's book? I have two of them (Burrus on Jesuit Relations and the letters of Baegert) and immensely enjoyed every word of both of them. I got them both at Allende Books here in La Paz. I also really enjoyed "Baja: Land of Lost Missions" by Marquis McDonald, even as much as any of the ESG books!

Please keep me in mind when you come to La Paz and let's coordinate some book loaning if you're into that kind of thing. If I enjoyed reading Baegert criticize and complain about everything then reading the other guys from back then must be much more light reading. :lol:

[Edited on 5-12-2012 by LaPazGringo]


Yes, good eye! It is #9, Burrus translated 'Wenceslaus Linck's Reports & Letters 1762-1778'.

Baegert

John M - 5-12-2012 at 05:36 PM

LaPazGringo - The Dawson book "Letters of Jacob Baegert" is indeed very detailed and interesting as compared with the 1952 "Observations in Lower California" by Brandenburg/Baumann.

To me, at least, reading the Dawson book provided me with the feeling that these Jesuits certainly not in the missionary business in Lower California to gather riches, hide treasure, or to become famous. It comes across to me, as Baegert wrote to his brother and mother, that his truest interest was in saving the souls of the Indians as he saw his duty as a Jesuit.

The letters of these priests, Baegert and others, provide an insight into the hearts of these men, not seen unless you take the effort to read what they had to say.

I need to remind myself that I am not living in the 1700s as I try to consider the imposed treatment of the Indians in some cases.
John M

LaPazGringo - 5-14-2012 at 08:00 AM

I'm going to take a few days and do a write-up on Baegert's letters. To do it justice, you'd have to separate his horrid view of the Indians (and for that matter, apparently every other person with whom he becomes acquainted) with the facts and insight he presents. It's undeniable from reading his perspective that there was little or nothing to be gained by the Jesuits personally and that any of them who were motivated by something other than saving souls just wouldn't have made it.