Mapping Nature across the Americas

Abstract

Mapping Nature across the Americas is a collection of analytical essays developed during the 2014 summer institute of the same name for college and university professors held at the Newberry Library and sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. An introduction by the editors is followed by twelve chapters by separate authors, each exploring aspects of historical mapping of the Americas. The overarching theme is a close study of every aspect of historical maps: examining maps’ creators, the changes seen in maps over time, and the knowledge that can be derived from maps. Topics include examination of how European explorers incorporated Indigenous knowledge, languages, and visual symbols in developing their maps of the New World; the antebellum shellfish industry as a route to emancipation; the mapping challenges posed by the incompatibility of rigid political boundaries with shifting landscape along the U.S.-Mexico border; the historical development of graphical presentation of mountain ranges; Humboldt’s exploration of the Orinoco river; and more. Three chapters are of particular interest to the biologist. “Palms and Other Trees on Maps: Exoticism, Error, and Environment, from Old World to New” explores aspects of vegetation mapping, focusing particularly on depictions of palm trees on maps far outside the range of these species as “the archetypal foreign plant.” The chapter on mapping Canadian nature includes a detailed and interesting discussion of the history and challenges of early surveying and mapmaking, as well as a fascinating series of maps showing the shrinking “terra incognita” of North America as European explorers developed their knowledge of the continent. The final chapter on seeing forests as systems recognizes the incompatibility between static representations on maps with the dynamic reality of ecosystems. An epilogue (“The View from across the Pond”) and appendix offer useful tools for the educator interested in incorporating maps into teaching environmental history.As a biology teacher who has always sought to incorporate interdisciplinary study, emphasizing that the study of science exists within cultural and historical contexts, I found the concept of this volume very appealing. Several chapters were particularly interesting to the science student or teacher and accessible to a general reader. However, some of the writers present their ideas in layers of such erudite complexity that this reader was left wondering what, in fact, they were exactly saying. Interestingly, despite the title’s phrase “mapping nature” indicating a biological or ecological focus, most of the essays could be better described as examining maps as historical documentation of cultures, cultural interaction (particularly between Native peoples and European colonists and explorers), and cultural shifts. As such, many of the details in this text would be excellent reference points more for the student of American history than one of biology. The figures of maps throughout the text are largely disappointing and difficult to read; they could have been improved with zoomed-in depictions of the details discussed in the text. Despite these shortcomings, there are fascinating aspects to this text and a wide range of topics that are of broad potential interest, particularly for a reader interested in the interdisciplinary study of exploration across the Americas.