The Digital Facsimile of the Map of Mexico 1550 is a digital replica of the original that is kept at the library of the University of Uppsala library in Uppsala, Sweden. The replica being created is a production of the University of Art and Design/UIAH, Media Lab. Other collaborators in the project include the Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Photogrammetry as well as the Photography Department at UIAH.

The project developed from research done by Lily Díaz-Kommonen during the years 1990-91 at the Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain. During this time, Díaz-Kommonen studied the visualization techniques used by cosmographers in the 16th century in Spain and America. In order to support her investigation, that was sponsored by a Fulbright grant, Diaz-Kommonen enrolled as a student of palaeography at the University of Seville.

The Map of Mexico 1550 has been attributed by some expert to the noted Spanish cosmographer, Alonso de Santa Cruz. Considered to be one of the great scientists of the 16th century, Santa Cruz was also the author of the Islario General and of numerous cartographic works and treatises. There is, however, lingering doubts whether the scientist--who never traveled to Mexico himself-- could have drawn and placed the hundreds of detailed pictograms which cover the map and accurately identify the topography and geography of the landscape.

The digital facsimile was shown as part of the massive exhibition AZTECS to be held at the Royal Academy of Arts in England from November 2002 to April 2003. AZTECS is considered to be one of the greatest exhibitions of Aztec culture ever seen. 350 spectacular works trace the life and times of the Aztecs, an extraordinary people, who in the space of only 200 years (from 1325 to 1521) created one of the most impressive civilizations in the world.

During the years 2003-2004, the facsimile traveled with AZTECS to the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin and to the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn.

The project serves as a platform from which to develop and contextualize research and educational activities, as well as IT development in the area of Cultural Heritage. Current R&D activities include further refinement of the design specifications for DiplayMap Tool. These developments have led to the creation of an advanced information processing tool, ImaNote (Image and Map Annotation Notebook).

Most recently the project was featured in the Campus exhibition of Media Lab Helsinki at Ars Electronica.