Abstract:
Long fascinating to those who study cartography, the cordiform maps (from the Latin for heart, cor) are known to few outside that small group. The cordiform projection has been considered something of an anomaly, sitting uncomfortably with the discoveries and discourses of the New World or the genesis of modern cartography. This paper asks why the shape of a heart was chosen for imaging the world. To answer this requires exploring meanings for the heart image outside of its use in cartography. This approach sees the map not as a fixed sign, judged by its geographic content alone, but a complex image under pressure from wider expectations upon the mapmakers and their audiences. In the sixteenth century, meanings were attributed to the heart that we no longer subscribe to today, including learning and memory, leadership and wisdom. A second aim is to establish that the maps’ shape – the heart – was intimately entangled with aspirations about the New World. Ultimately, these unusual maps can illuminate the mindset of those in Europe aspiring to a new vision of human affairs, suggesting that the early modern cartographic enterprise was not as homogenous as is often considered. This paper introduces audiences to the maps as well as key issues that have hindered their interpretation. It will show that they, perhaps more than any other maps of their time, are critical for revealing potentially conflicting and controversial aspirations for the New World.