This example shows you how easily jQuery + jMaps makes changing map types.
In the below example will show how to to easily change the map type using the SetMapType function.
jQuery(document).ready(function(){
jQuery('#map1').jmap('init', {'mapType':G_PHYSICAL_MAP,'mapCenter':[37.4419, -122.1419], 'mapZoom':1}, function(thisMap, options){
jQuery('.planet').click(function(){
var mapType = jQuery(this).attr('rel');
jQuery('#map1').jmap('SetMapType', mapType);
});
});
});