ABSTRACT
Terra incognita designates an unknown, inaccessible space believed to contain valuable human and material assets. Its existence was communicated cartographically by the imposition of blank spaces, textual labels, and the articulation of fabulous preternaturalia. Indeed, the collection of exotic objects from the Americas and their subsequent display in Spanish institutions such as the museum demonstrate a process of negotiation between private and public spaces. In this process, terra incognita was made accessible by means of circulating commodities that situated alien, private spaces within the known, public world. Lopez's cartographic methods thus demonstrate the commodification of information in light of the exploration and possession of new territories. His use of color and textual description helped integrate unexplored territory into the political boundaries of Spain's colonies. The physical placement of extensive paragraphs of text on the aforementioned map of New Mexico and over the territory belonging to the Apache further elucidated terra incognita.
