Historical map · 1550

Map of North America in 1550

In 1550, the historical border data behind our interactive map draws 4 states, empires and other polities in North America. By the land they held inside this region, the largest were the Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, the Spanish Empire and Haudenosaunee. The Spanish Empire reached well beyond North America: its whole territory measured about 9.2 million km².

See this map live. The interactive map opens on North America in 1550. Zoom in, move the year slider to watch the borders change, or ask the history guide a question and it draws the answer on the map.

OPEN 1550 ON THE MAP →Ask the history guide about 1550

States and empires in North America in 1550

State	In this region	Whole state	In the data
Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy Wikipedia	1.7 million km²	5.2 million km²	1519–1563
Spanish Empire Wikipedia	1.7 million km²	9.2 million km²	1516–1931
Haudenosaunee Wikipedia	72,000 km²	72,000 km²	1450–1782
Itza Mayans Wikipedia	33,000 km²	33,000 km²	1547–1699

"In the data" gives the first and last year the dataset draws the state under this identity; states often existed earlier or later in another form.

What changed since 1500

New on the map: Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, Spanish Empire, Itza Mayans.

Gone from the map: Later Mayan City-States, Aztec Triple Alliance, Michoacán, Personal union of Crown of Aragon with Crown of Castile, Crown of Castile.

What comes next: 1600

Appear by 1600: Alliance between Papal States and Spanish Empire.

Gone by 1600: Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy.

Questions about this map

Which countries were in North America in 1550?

The map data draws 4 states and other polities in North America in 1550. The largest by land were the Personal union of Spanish Empire with Habsburg Monarchy, the Spanish Empire, Haudenosaunee and Itza Mayans.

What was the largest empire in North America in 1550?

Of the states on this map, the Spanish Empire held the most land in total: about 9.2 million km² in the reconstruction used here. Ancient and frontier borders are approximate, so treat areas as estimates.

Can I explore North America in 1550 interactively?

Yes. Open the interactive map at 1550, zoom into any region, move through the years, and ask the history guide questions: it answers in plain words and draws places, armies and borders on the map.

About these borders

The borders come from Cliopatria (v0.2.1, Seshat Global History Databank, CC BY 4.0), the dataset behind our interactive map, with our audited name and border corrections. It records each state's territory year by year from 3400 BC to 2024. Borders before modern surveys are reconstructions: the data draws a state where it held control, and frontier zones, nomadic realms and loose overlordships are approximate. Areas are measured on an equal-area projection. Read how we make our maps.

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