The naïve map of the sixteenth century roads in Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents a naïve map that attempts to reflect the vision that Philip II and his advisors probably had of the Spanish road network in the second half of the sixteenth century, a crucial aspect for the choice of the seat of the capital of the kingdom. The elaboration of the naïve map was carried out in two phases: in the first, the road network was reconstructed based on a thorough revision of the primary sources that have survived to the present day. As these sources showed evident problems of completeness, the network was completed using mathematical methods, which were statistically contrasted. The analysis carried out is an important novelty since it shows that most of the transport in the Iberian Peninsula was channeled through the center following a radial structure with six principal axes two centuries before what has been traditionally considered.