Place and Feature Names
The map has a lot of places and features labeled and named with text. I traced all of the ones that were all capital letters. Something interesting to note is the number of places that have two names, separated by “or.”
Map layer 4 - Fortifications and Colonies
Containing areas of settlement, this layer is fascinating because when isolated, it more clearly suggests purposes behind the accumulated locations. These reasons may include aesthetic preferences or for strategic (military or for trade) uses.
Keys, Signs, and Measurements
This layer includes the map's keys (one for symbols, one for determining water depth), latitude and longitude lines, and significant place names. This layer would have been essential for contemporary readers, especially ones with no first hand knowledge of the space represented. By connecting the maps detail with its use of standard European map tropes, readers could contextualize and situate the land depicted in the map.
Inhabited Spaces
This layer contains the places where people lived, in either permanent or temporary settlements. The settlements represented include both indigenous and colonial presences. A representation of these two type of settlements could give Spanish readers of the map a better sense of what land was still 'available,' and a stronger understanding of the socio-political dynamics at play in different regions.
Colored territories with emphasized boundaries
This layer contains the colored (land) parts of the map. Supposedly, those territories are under the influence of different rulers (the British, the French, the Dutch and certain native American groups). It is remarkable that the boundaries of those colored territories are made bold; this reinforces the idea of the territories being separate areas, ruled by separate powers.