North America - 1600

By the start of the 17th century, the Viceroyalty of New Spain had already expanded its territories from California to Chile and covering Florida in the east. With a small portion acquired by the French as New France or Canada, the British had yet to set their foot on what would be later known as the United States of America. This post is not about the first Thirteen Colonies, but about a millennia-old exploration of North America with names hardly familiar to anyone today. 

Ceuola

Starting from the west, the territory of California is well-known. Adjacent to its east was the territory of Ceuola or Cibola which is located in today's New Mexico state. The territory was rumoured to the early Spanish as 'Seven Cities of Gold' and an expedition was conducted that led to a bloodbath. Today it resides on the ruins of Hawikuh, New Mexico. To give a better context, these remains are located to the extreme west of Albuquerque, on the New Mexico-Arizona border. 

Zubgara

Heading north of Ceuola, was the territory of Zubgara and the settlement of Zubaira, which drains upwards to Lago de Conibas. Although if placed geographically, Lago de Conibas would incline to today's Lake Saint-Jean, Quebec, but it's not authenticated nor proved otherwise. 

Tagil

Located around Florida, this region and the settlement of Tascalifa would point around Tuscaloosa, Alabama. There were other settlements such as Canargan, Xuala, Xuaquili, Apalael, Chague, Chiacha, Tali etc. all around the Florida coast. Xuala would point to the territory of Cheraw people around the North and South Carolina border. The rest of the settlements would swing between Mississippi to North Carolina states. 

Terchichimechi

Pointing to the territory of the Karankawa people in southern Texas and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (marked as Golfo de Mexico), Terchichimechi would consist of settlements such as Cacos, Culias, Coloaton, Vachus, Ajix etc. 

Hochalaga

An Iroquoian fortified village along the St. Lawrence River (marked as Sinus S. Laurenty), it would open up to what would popularly be known as New France or Canada. Its current location is in Montreal, Quebec and the settlement with the same name would be the foundations of Montreal city. 

Canada

In the early 17th century, the region and settlement of Canada would be a tiny fragment of Quebec province along the St. Lawrence River. Other settlements would include names such as Angus, Guinoda, Deouondelay, Pofilles, Roquelay and Honguedo. In today's time, there exists a Honguedo Strait in eastern Quebec between the Anticosti Island and Gaspé Peninsula of Canada. 

Terra Corterialis

Denoting today's Gaspé Peninsula and New Brunswick provinces of Canada, Terra Corterialis would border Golfo de Merosro in the north and the settlement of Brest in the south, after the French city of the same name. 

Norombega

Lying in today's New England territory of the United States, the Norombega region was originally spelt Oranbega on 16th-century maps. In today's era, a commemoration to Norombega is given by a historic house called Norumbega Castle, located in Camden, Maine. 

Mocosa

Although marked just south of the Hochalaga territory, there was a 16th-century chiefdom with the name Mocoço or Mocoso on the east side of Tampa Bay, Florida. But on older maps, it's marked between Lower Canada and Virginia territories, which would point to today's Ohio and Pennsylvania states. 

Saguenai

A well-established city of Saguenay, Quebec, this region was marked as one of the northernmost boundaries of North America of the 17th century. This would bring to the location of Lago de Conibas being marked in the west of Saguenai and a settlement of Faga. Interestingly, Lago de Conibus was assumed to be one of the westernmost frontiers of North America at that time. 

To summarise in a nutshell, North America explored and mapped by early Europeans would be the regions between California to St. Lawrence River, but not including the entire central USA. It would then taper the coast of Florida and go up to the New Brunswick territory of Canada. Some of the settlements on the eastern coast of the United States are as follows: 

• Secotan (Secotan tribe, in today's North and South Carolina)
• Catokinge 
• Comokee
• Charlefort
• Pasquenok 
• Dasamoquepu (Dasamongueponke tribe, in North Carolina)
• Pameuck (Pampticough or Pomouik or Pomeiok tribe, North Carolina)
• Ipedra
• St. Helena

It would be unwise to say that this description has scratched the surface of the pre-European colonisation of Canada and the USA, as there were hundreds of other native people living on the entire continent. Subsequent conversion, systematic elimination and traumatisation of most of the tribes gave birth to modern townships, thus wiping out the existence of many native tribes. It is ironic that the phrase 'Red Indian' or 'Native Indian' is still stuck to these tribes because of an error of judgement of a European explorer when the fact is that none of these people ever had anything to do with India. 

Below here is a recreation of a map dating 1600, originally sketched by Matthias Quad, a German cartographer from Cologne. Interestingly, he was the first European mapmaker to use dotted lines to indicate international boundaries. To give a little more context, at this time the English East India Company was just born and while on one hand Asia and Europe were flourishing with empires such as the Great Moghul, the Ming, the Safavid, the Poland-Lithuania Confederation, the Iberian Union of Spain and Portugal, the fragmented Holy Roman Empire of German states, and the tri-continental Ottoman Empire, much of North America was yet to be explored.