There is much that is rare in the map collection of Lopez Library, which offers indispensable source materials for those who share interests in Philippine geographical and cartographical studies. Concerned primarily with imparting visual information, map-makers then created brightly colored renderings of the Philippine archipelago and accompanied them with lively decorative motifs and illustrations.

Some maps are attractive enough to entice even those with little knowledge about the arts of cartography. Properly stored, protected from the damage of light, atmospheric pollution, molds, and insect pests, cataloged, and arranged in chronological order (with some dating to the 1500s), the rare maps in the Lopez Museum total 356. They serve as primary reference to the early world of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Philippines.