This view of the town of Antequera, near Malaga, belongs to "Civitates Orbis Terrarum", one of the most significant publishing endeavours of the sixteenth century. The engraving by Hogenberg shows the town framed by the Sierra del Torcal. Based on a drawing made by Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600) during a long journey throughout Andalusia, the print depicts a detailed layout of the town, spread over a wide expanse, with the awe-inspiring Alcazaba standing out on the skyline. Worth mentioning is the realism of the scene, providing in-depth information about the size and architecture of Antequera in the sixteenth century. On the left, the town’s most iconic buildings; in the foreground, two characters leaning against a large vessel symbolising agriculture, crafts and trade.

The print was included in volume II of the publication, whose first edition is dated in 1575. The book compiles forty-three views of Spain, with special attention to Andalusia, featured in thirty-two of the images, evincing the special interest this region aroused from the sixteenth century onwards.

"Civitates Orbis Terrarum" is one of the most important and complete publications of the geography and cartography of the modern world. The principal editor of the book was the German cleric Georg Braun, who, with the collaboration of scientists and churchmen, compiled the images featured in the publication and wrote the Latin texts with information on the history, geography, architecture, economy and culture of each region. It is an essential documentary source on the layout of the modern city, with views of battles, bird’s-eye views of cities, towns and their natural surroundings.

"Civitates Orbis Terrarum" consists of six volumes published between 1572 and 1617, containing 546 views of towns and cities in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and part of America. Many important geographers and mapmakers collaborated in this publishing endeavour. A special mention is deserved for Abraham Ortelius, the writer of "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", which, for the first time, gathered a number of maps in a structured order, earning it the consideration as the first modern atlas.

As far as the illustrations are concerned, it is worth underscoring the work of Joris Hoefnagel, commissioned with making a large part of the drawings on which the prints for the publication were based, mostly made by Frans Hogenberg. The images provide excellent testimony of the layout of sixteenth-century towns and cities and help in understanding their development over the course of history.