Coahuila crowns this 1922 sheet from the Atlas Geográfico de la República Mexicana, a meticulously orchestrated portrait of Mexico’s great northern state at a moment of national redefinition. Issued by the Dirección de Estudios Geográficos y Climatológicos, the map fuses precise political boundaries with a physically expressive landscape rendered in nuanced relief shading. A finely articulated network of roadways and railways threads between named cities, towns, rancherías, and haciendas, while rivers and intermittent lakes are traced with hydrologic sensitivity. Borders to neighboring states and the international line along the Río Bravo del Norte are drawn with authoritative clarity, yet the composition retains a painterly poise, anchored by an elegant cartouche whose iconography nods to the cultural currents of the era. This is science disciplined into beauty—and beauty pressed into service of place.

Behind the image stands a purposeful team within Mexico’s modernizing scientific establishment. Engineers Sotero Prieto and Luciano López Sorcini oversaw the geographic synthesis, bringing mathematical rigor, triangulation practice, and climatological insight to bear on Coahuila’s vast expanses. Their colleague, the zincographer Antonio Hernández, translated the drafts into exceptionally crisp plates, the then-cutting-edge zincography preserving both the hairline of a river’s meander and the soft tonal gradations of shaded relief. As part of a nationwide atlas program, their task was not merely to locate towns and trace tracks, but to standardize knowledge after a tumultuous decade, knitting rail junctions, postal roads, and administrative jurisdictions into a coherent, comparable frame. The result is a document that reads as both an instrument of governance and a testament to scholarly craftsmanship.

In shaded swells and stony chiaroscuro, the Sierra Madre Oriental strides across the sheet, its buttressed spurs—Arteaga, Zapalinamé, Santa Rosa—rising abruptly from desert basins. Northward, the Río Bravo del Norte scrolls along the frontier, gathering tributaries such as the Sabinas, San Rodrigo, and Escondido, while the Salado and Nadadores trace more interior courses toward the borderlands. West and southwest, the Comarca Lagunera’s dry sinks hint at the vanished waters of Mayrán, the Nazas River’s desultory gift, and the larger Bolsón de Mapimí’s salt flats and playas. The shading is not decorative flourish: it reads like weather and geology, indicating passes, cuestas, and canyon mouths essential to travel, communication, and defense. Coahuila’s climate and topography—sun-seared plain and cool pine ridge—are legible in every gradient laid upon the page.

Human settlement punctuates this terrain with purposeful rhythm. Torreón anchors the west, a booming node of mills, warehouses, and rail yards in the Lagunera, dispatching lines eastward and north to mining districts. Saltillo, the state capital, spreads at the mouth of mountain valleys, its colonial grid embraced by sierra ramparts and linked by highway and rail to Monterrey and the central plateau. Monclova, seat of ore and industry, sits astride corridors toward the north. On the Río Bravo, twin gateways—Piedras Negras opposite Eagle Pass and Ciudad Acuña across from Del Rio—fix the border crossings, their sidings and roads fanning into ranch country and garrison towns. Throughout, secondary tracks and carriage roads are recorded with care, revealing how arroyos, passes, and river terraces determined the everyday geometry of movement.

Political geography is stated with equal poise. Limit lines articulate Coahuila’s reach to Chihuahua on the northwest, Durango and Zacatecas to the south and southwest, Nuevo León on the east, and the United States beyond the Río Bravo—each boundary contextualized by the mountains and deserts it must cross. Conceived within a comprehensive atlas, the composition converses with transparent relief and thematic overlays prepared for the series, inviting geological readings of structure, watershed, and resource. The cartouche gathers these ambitions into emblem—classical balance enlivened by national motifs—while the legend deciphers symbols for rails, roads, settlements, and hydrology. Taken together, the map becomes a richly layered narrative of territory, an artifact of Mexican cartographic modernity at its most lucid and humane.

Cities and towns on this map

• Torreón
• Saltillo
• Monclova
• Ciudad Acuña
• Piedras Negras

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Detailed shadings representing elevation and relief.
• Comprehensive network of roadways and railroads.
• Major settlements and geographical landmarks, including rivers and bodies of water.
• Borders and limit lines indicating surrounding regions and states.
• Artistic cartouche showcasing cultural elements relevant to the era.

Historical and design context

• Publication Year: 1922
• Mapmaker/Publisher: Mexico Direccion de Estudios Geograficos y Climatologicos; part of the "Atlas Geografico de la Republica Mexicana."
• Key Contributors: Ing. Sotero Prieto, Ing. Luciano Lopez Sorcini, and zincographer Antonio Hernandez.
• Accompanied by overlay transparent relief maps for geological insights.
• Artistic elements integrate cultural aspects, reflecting cartographic traditions.
• Serves as a vital historical artifact for understanding early 20th-century cartography in Mexico.
• Represents the intersection of science and culture, especially regarding the geographic and geological study of the region.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.