▁co operation ▁of ▁cart ograph ers , ▁cosm ograph ers ▁and ▁navig ational ▁instrument - m akers ▁in ▁late ▁ 1 3 th ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁and ▁ 1 5 th - century ▁Major ca . ▁With ▁their ▁mult icult ural ▁her itage ▁the ▁Major can ▁cart ographic ▁school ▁experiment ed ▁and ▁developed ▁unique ▁cart ographic ▁techniques ▁most ▁dealing ▁with ▁the ▁Mediter rane an , ▁as ▁it ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁in ▁the ▁Catal an ▁Atlas . ▁The ▁Major can ▁school ▁was ▁( co -) respons ible ▁for ▁the ▁in vention ▁( c . 1 3 0 0 ) ▁of ▁the ▁" Normal ▁Port olan ▁chart ". ▁It ▁was ▁a ▁contemporary ▁superior , ▁detailed ▁na ut ical ▁model ▁chart , ▁gr idd ed ▁by ▁comp ass ▁lines . ▁▁ ▁I ber ian ▁cart ography ▁in ▁the ▁Age ▁of ▁Ex pl oration ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁Renaissance , ▁with ▁the ▁renew ed ▁interest ▁in ▁classical ▁works , ▁maps ▁became ▁more ▁like ▁surve ys ▁once ▁again , ▁while ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁by ▁Europe ans ▁and ▁the ▁subsequent ▁effort ▁to ▁control ▁and ▁divide ▁those ▁lands ▁rev ived ▁interest ▁in ▁scientific ▁mapping ▁methods . ▁Peter ▁Whit field , ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁several ▁books ▁on ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁maps , ▁cred its ▁European ▁map making ▁as ▁a ▁factor ▁in ▁the ▁global ▁spread ▁of ▁western ▁power : ▁" Men ▁in ▁Se ville , ▁Amsterdam ▁or ▁London ▁had ▁access ▁to ▁knowledge ▁of ▁America , ▁Brazil , ▁or ▁India , ▁while ▁the ▁native ▁pe op les ▁knew