Maris Pacifici (Pacific Ocean), unknown maker

Exhibition Label:
"Climate Change at the Poles," Jan-2009, Kate Meyer, Jennifer Talbott, and Angela Watts
The ship prominently displayed in the center of the map is the Victoria; the only vessel from Ferdinand Magellan’s 1519-22 expedition to successfully circumnavigate the globe. Magellan sought a trade route to the Spice Islands (today the Maluku Islands of Indonesia) in an attempt to secure control of the spice trade for Spain. This map indicates a narrow southern passage through what would become known as the Straights of Magellan. Also Tierra del Fuego (the archipelago at the base of South America) is at this time inaccurately labeled as part of Terra Australis.