Russell Shorto, curator of “New York Before New York: The Castello Plan of New Amsterdam,” and Deborah Hamer, Director of the New Netherland Institute, take a closer look at life in New Amsterdam through the Castello Plan. They discuss the history of this map of New York in its primordial state, the significance of the mpungu (a collection of African ritual objects) found in New Amsterdam, and the reaction of Lenape leaders to Peter Schagen’s letter, which holds the earliest reference to the “purchase” of the island of Manhattan from indigenous communities.