ABSTRACT
If within the condition of modernity the map was regarded as a fixed point of reference, a reflection of the expansive nature of universal space, in the contemporary dissolution of such unities the objectivity of the map, as well as of the described space, has been frequently questioned. The unidimensional surface of maps has been seen instead as a ‘deep-text,’ a text that demands interpretation and recontextualization. On the level of appearance, maps use precise systems of signification in order to describe selected aspects and relations within a given space. However, the information to be found on the surface of a map is rarely limited to the codified data indicated in the legend but rather expresses prior assumptions and ideologies. A careful analysis of cartographic signification can reveal a surplus of non-cartographic systems of representation which are employed in the making of a map. These are susceptible to diverse interpretations, depending upon the contexts of time, place, language, and the viewer's identity.
