Le Paraguay ou les RR. PP de la Compagnie de Jesus ont repandu leurs Missions . . . 1733 presents Samuel Fritz’s penetrating vision of the Jesuit world in the heart of South America. Composed at the height of missionary endeavor, the map concentrates on the riverine corridors and mission fields of Paraguay and adjoining Brazil, where the Society of Jesus orchestrated an ambitious network of settlements and evangelization. A sumptuous cartouche at upper right proclaims the title and authorship, its Baroque exuberance balancing the map’s sober geographic precision. A finely drawn compass rose sets the orientation, while carefully arrayed toponyms and river threads unfold a landscape at once spiritual and strategic—an atlas of faith and frontier that guided travel, governance, and conversion along the Paraná and Paraguay waterways.

Fritz’s work stands as a considered update of Juan Francisco D’Avila’s rare 1726 delineation of the Jesuit Provinces, absorbing fresh field observations to sharpen hydrology, toponymy, and routes. Settlement names, distinctively italicized, punctuate the missionary footprint and distinguish larger towns and reducción sites from lesser posts. The Paraná and Paraguay Rivers, the lifelines of movement, appear with tributaries and bends recorded through lived experience, augmented by annotations that clarify navigation and local conditions. Mountain ranges and hills are portrayed with neat contour-like linework, a tactile cue to elevation changes that mattered for portages and defense. The result is a humane cartography—technical yet immediate—grounded in the reports of fathers who sounded channels, counted leagues, and mapped souls as well as shores.

Across this canvas, Asunción anchors the Spanish provincial order, a governor’s seat and supply nexus feeding upriver missions and trade. Southward, the Encarnación region—long a hinge between river and reducción—clusters along the Paraná, emblematic of the Jesuit project’s density and resilience. Eastward, the strategically charged confluence near today’s Ciudad del Este emerges as a pivotal crossing on the approach to the Iguazú, a threshold between Guaraní heartlands and forested marches. Fritz’s labeling threads these spaces into a coherent itinerary, showing how catechesis, agriculture, and craft production radiated from missions linked by canoes and seasonal caravans, a web whose strength lay in waterborne mobility and shared language.

The map also reads as a ledger of imperial contest. To the east, Curitiba signals the Portuguese sphere edging inland from the Atlantic slope, beyond the serried hills of the Serra do Mar. Westward and southward, Spanish jurisdictions—and the Jesuit guardianship of Guaraní communities—face pressures from bandeirante incursions and ambiguous treaty lines inherited from Tordesillas. This geography of claims and crossings resonated in Europe: Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville would later synthesize South American knowledge from many sources, explicitly crediting recent maps from the Paraguay missionaries. Fritz’s rendering belongs to that chain of intelligence—local testimonies refined into continental science—where mission diaries, river logs, and boundary debates converge on the printed sheet.

Stylistically, the piece marries devotion and empiricism. The ornamental cartouche, emblem of status and authority, frames a work animated by practical aids: a crisp compass rose for bearing, italic scripts for hierarchy of places, and marginal notes that illuminate fords, rapids, and regional peculiarities. The contour-like depiction of relief lends tactile depth to the routes threading from reduction to reduction, while the Paraná and Paraguay, broad and certain, guide the eye as they guided canoes. As a historical artifact, it distills the Jesuit ambition to chart as well as to convert—turning a vast, river-fed interior into legible space—and preserves the moment when South America’s interior passed from rumor to reasoned, missionary-informed geography.

Cities and towns on this map

• Asunción — Modern population: ~500,000
• Encarnación — Modern population: ~100,000
• Ciudad del Este — Modern population: ~300,000
• Curitiba — Modern population: ~1,900,000

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Cartouche: Highly ornate design at the top right, indicating the map's title and creator.
• Rivers: Clearly marked rivers such as the Paraná and Paraguay, showcasing their vital role in navigation and trade.
• Topography: Mountain ranges and hills are illustrated with contour lines, demonstrating elevation changes in the landscape.
• Settlement names: Various settlements identified with italicized labels, typically larger towns or mission sites.
• Annotations: Additional notes provided for navigation or explanations of geographical features.
• Directions: Compass rose indicating orientation, helpful for understanding the map's layout.

Historical and design context

• Name of the map: Le Paraguay ou les RR. PP de la Compagnie de Jesus ont repandu leurs Missions . . . 1733
• Created by: Samuel Fritz in 1733
• Description: Detailed map of the Jesuit Regions of South America, based on observations by Jesuit Missionaries.
• Context of creation: An update of Juan Francisco D'Avila's rare map of the Jesuit Provinces from 1726, with improved details.
• Historical reference: Linked to the work of D'anville, who created a map based on various sources, including recent maps from Paraguay Missionaries.
• Themes shown: Focus on Jesuit missions, settlements, and geographical features in Paraguay.
• Geographical coverage: The map predominantly covers regions that are part of modern-day Paraguay, portions of Brazil, and any surrounding areas influenced or mapped by Jesuit missions.
• Design/style context: The cartographer employed an ornate cartouche, showcasing artistic elements typical of the period, indicating the significance of the map.
• Historical significance: Reflects the Jesuit efforts to spread Christianity and their impact in South America, as well as serving as a geographical reference for missionary work.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x16in (40x40cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

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.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.