Five centuries of mystery: the first map of Europe showing America

A map that was thought to be lost for many years and is said to be about 500 years old is on the agenda again with the claim that it may be the first depiction of the American continent made by Europeans.


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Sunday, December 21, 2025 


The map is attributed to Juan de la Cosa, assistant to Christopher Columbus and owner of the ship Santa María. However, both its origin and its mysterious disappearance, which lasted for centuries, are still controversial.

The map, which dates back to about 1500, is thought to be the first study to show the coasts of the New World, along with Europe, Asia and Africa.

The note on the parchment reads, "Juan de la Cosa made this map in 1500 in the Port of Santa Maria."

Although it is known that the Vikings reached Canada in the 1000s, the systematic exploration of America began with the 1492 expeditions of Christophe Columbus.

The map, which is probably a single copy, was of great strategic value at a time when colonial rivalry was heating up. On the map, the American continent is depicted as the edge of a giant piece of land that is not yet fully known; There are rough lines, green areas and several rivers belonging to North America, the Caribbean and the north of South America.

Despite its incompleteness and errors, it exhibits astonishing accuracy for an era without satellite and GPS, reflecting an early intuition that America might be a landmass separate from Asia.

LOST FOR CENTURIES

The map disappeared for more than three centuries. It reappeared in 1832 when it was purchased by French scientist Charles Walckenaer from an antique shop in Paris. According to the most common view, the map may have been lost among the documents that Napoleon had transported from the Vatican archives to Paris in 1810.

However, the map's accuracy raises doubts for some experts. Some researchers argue that the study could not really have been done in 1500, but may be a combination of different maps produced until 1529. Even the existence of another "Juan de la Cosa" is considered a possibility.

WALDSEEMÜLLER CONTROVERSY

If it is proven that this map is not dated 1500, the title of the oldest map showing "America" will belong to Martin Waldseemüller. Waldseemüller's 1507 map shows the Western Hemisphere as a separate completely surrounded continent for the first time, using the name "America" after Amerigo Vespucci.

According to experts, this debate is not limited to the origin of a map. The question of how many important documents have been lost throughout history and how many secrets the age of discovery still holds is raised again with this map.