On January 7, 2025, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The declaration triggered a wave of international reactions. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum notably suggested renaming the United States “Mexican America.” She supported her proposal with a 17th-century map on which most of North America was labeled America Mexicana. Ancient cartography had entered the heart of political discourse.

Looking at a few examples of seminal, even mythical maps selected from KBR’s collections, we invite you to discover how ancient cartography lies at the heart of today’s political issues.

The region’s economic importance and a certain form of expansionism were central to Donald Trump’s decision. Our narrative demonstrates that these same motivations influenced Western mapmakers throughout nearly 400 years of map production. And yet, not once was the name of the gulf questioned in these maps. The American president is, in fact, the first to do so in an official act. A decision that highlights the enduring influence of political power over cartography.

Sources:
Plancius, Petrus, Orbis terrarum typus de integro multis in locis emendatus auctore Petro Plancio, Amsterdam, 1594 – KBR RP BZ 492 B 1

[Link to the map: https://opac.kbr.be/LIBRARY/doc/SYRACUSE/22510183]

Vandermaelen, Philippe, Carte de l’Amérique septentrionale, Brussels, [1833] – KBR CP III 9.744
[Link to the map: https://opac.kbr.be/LIBRARY/doc/SYRACUSE/22457454]