A 1580 Map by an Unnamed Ñudzahui Painter Shows Why Data Visualization Is Never Neutral

A 1580 Map Shows Why Data Visualization Is Never Neutral

Nearly 450 years ago, an unnamed Ñudzahui (Mixtec) painter created the Mapa de Teozacoalco for King Philip II of Spain, responding to a royal survey. The map encodes his community’s history and land claims in ways legible to the Spanish king—such as a vertical genealogy—while subtly asserting sovereignty. Lauren F. Klein uses this example to argue that visualization is a form of power: design choices are never neutral, and complete objectivity is an illusion.