This shoreline topographical chart of the most valued part of the Oriente southern coastline flags fortified points in 1776 with barely noticeable red ink. The focus of the fortification system is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba (F) in the Santiago Bay. Other fortified points (D, J, L, M, Y, H) serve the capital's defense. The few red marks in the chart reveal an exposed coastline. Guantánamo Bay and nearby salt mines fall within the purview of the chart but remained at this time seemingly isolated and unfortified despite Admiral Edward Vernon's seven month occupation of the harbor in 1741. Shoreline topography indicates rivers, bays, salt mines and sketches vegetation and elevation of the terrain through contour lines and shading, all valued information indexing possibilities for enemy disembarkation. Much smuggling also took place through these unguarded and desolate regions. A legend on the right labels major points of interest, natural and fortified ones. Produced in Havana in 1776 and signed by Don Luis Huets [Hueses], the chart has an exclusively military purpose. That same year Hueses also produced a detailed chart of the garrison and fortification system at the entrance of Santiago Bay (see Map 6) here marked in red ink at points Y and H. Although a utilitarian artifact, the delicate coloring of this shoreline chart and its rendition of contour produce an aesthetically pleasing effect that give it, at least from a presentist perspective, an added "artistic" value, even though the caligraphy in the title and legend is not very distinguished.
