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information. This work was preserved in manuscript form until 1662; a copy of this first edition is also found in the Swedish archive (172).

But, edition after edition, the peninsular maps published abroad contained errors which needed to be reviewed and corrected; at the same time, the cartography promoted by local, civilian and ecclesiastical authorities in their jurisdictions was completely lacking in unity, making its systematic use impossible. This situation was to change substantially with the new and enlightened policies of the 18th century. The enlightened governments embarked upon highly ambitious projects to approach the territorial reorganisation of the two kingdoms, but their work was hindered by the lack of sufficiently accurate maps of the peninsula and adjacent islands. A secular shortage of professional cartographers, for instance, led the Portuguese government to recruit French engraver and publisher Francisco Domingos Milcent, who set up his business in Lisbon in 1765. From his workshop is plan 173 of the Portuguese capital. It was therefore in the 18th century when an essentially Iberian detailed cartography arose, coinciding in Spain with the gradual disappearance of the laws banning the publication of maps.

In 1751, Spanish astronomer and navigator Jorge Juan Santacilia, following in the wake of the French cartographic advances, presented Marquis de la Ensenada with an ambitious project to form an overall map of Spain. Although the project never materialised, these geographical concerns at least significantly boosted Spanish cartography in general, and a group of young specialists –including Tomás López– were sent from Spain to Paris in 1752 to learn the latest map drawing and engraving