62 A HISTORY OF AMERICA IN 100 MAPS
The heart of the map is the interior shown at right,
where Coronelli described the discoveries and forts
of the French explorers. Perhaps most tantalizing was
his suggestion of a short portage between the newly
named “Chekagou” (Chicago) in the upper right
corner and a nearby tributary of the Mississippi River,
marked as “Chekagou R.” The possibility of linking
the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River watershed—
and the Gulf of Mexico beyond—preoccupied the
French throughout this period. More generally, La
Salle’s “discoveries” all along the Mississippi River
would be cited by de L’Isle and others as evidence
of French sovereignty. Coronelli advocated the
expansion of French influence in North America, and
his treatment of the English colonies reflected that
imperial agenda. On the prior page, the Atlantic is
named a sea of “Nuova Francia,” which dwarfs the
English presence in the “Mare di Virginia” to the
south. English colonies are hemmed in by dotted
lines, sharply contrasting with the expansive
“Canada Nuovo” and “Louisiana,” which stretch
across the center of the continent.
In the west shown at right, Coronelli
acknowledged the presence of the Spanish, marking
the claim of Juan de Oñate to “New” Mexico with the
phrase “Scoperta da Spagnuoli L’anno 1598.” In his
lengthy annotation at the top of this page, Coronelli
also gestured toward the intrigue around the former
governor of New Spain, Diego de Peñalosa. Exiled
to France, Peñalosa gave valuable geographical
information to Coronelli regarding the Spanish
Southwest. He even suggested the possibility
of aiding the French in attacking New Spain,
underscoring the more general rivalry between
the two empires.
Even the cartouche shown on the previous page
expresses Coronelli’s ambitions on behalf of the
French. At the top, the winged head of Inquiry
struggles to reveal America by pulling back heavy
drapes, suggestively symbolizing the way in which
French explorers had uncovered the geography of
the continent. Beneath the figure of Inquiry stands
the symbol of Truth, with sunlight radiating from
her head as she points toward the geographical
revelations on the map itself. This assertion of French
power on the continent would directly clash with
England’s own imperial agenda throughout the early
eighteenth century, as detailed in the next chapter.