Theatrum Orbis Terrarum

In the sixteenth century, the Padrão Real was displayed in the ceiling of the Map Room at the Casa da Índia. It was a confidential map, protected from foreign spies, and regularly updated with the arrival and departure of each expedition. Using scientific instruments to measure distances, navigators created representations of the territories they had explored. At sea, they relied on celestial navigation, using the stars to chart their course and mentally tracing lines that defined new regions. Upon returning to land, they claimed the map previously used by others as their own, removing old boundaries and establishing new ones. The original map has since been lost, and what remains is a stolen copy, recreated from memory by one of the cartographers to evade their enemies.