Voyage of Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513

What it is

This is a modern illustrative map created in 2006, showing the route Vasco Núñez de Balboa took in 1513 across the Isthmus of Panama. Red lines mark his outbound journey from Tumaco and Isla Rica toward Careta and Santa María, while a blue line shows his return path to San Miguel and Tumaco.

Why it matters

Balboa's crossing of the isthmus led to the first documented European sighting of the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. This map helps visualize the geography of that journey, though it was made centuries later as an educational tool rather than by anyone who traveled with Balboa.

Look closer

• Why might mapmakers today still find it useful to trace old exploration routes like Balboa's?
• What geographic challenges might Balboa's expedition have faced based on the terrain shown here?
• How does a modern map like this differ from maps that explorers themselves might have drawn?