Mexico墨西哥

Erdmann Gormsen

This review evaluates the National Atlas of Mexico, a three-volume cartographic work published in 1990 by UNAM’s Institute of Geography. The reviewer considers it a masterpiece combining professional craftsmanship, artistic style, and high printing quality, evidenced by some 50 historical facsimile maps. The atlas contains seven chapters covering general/historical cartography, history, society, natural phenomena, environmental aspects, economy, and Mexico in the world. The review focuses on Volume I, which has 46 double pages and 246 maps, mostly depicting demographic and social spatial differences based on the 1980 census. It notes minor technical problems, such as confusing map design, absolute values, restrictive migration definitions, and the misuse of “fecundidad” for “natalidad.” Overall, the atlas is a highly valuable instrument for revealing Mexico’s regional disparities.

Germán Muñoz Guevara

This article presents the National Atlas of Mexico, produced by the Institute of Geography at UNAM, considered the most important geographical work in Mexico in the 20th century. After five years of interdisciplinary work involving 300 specialists, 15 UNAM units, six public institutions and international advisors, the atlas compiles 600 maps in 160 plates distributed in three volumes. Volume I covers general maps, historical processes and social conditions; Volume II addresses natural features and the environment; Volume III focuses on economic activities and international relations. In addition to traditional topics, it includes original cartography on biodiversity, fauna, urban growth and risk areas. The atlas was printed in Mexico, a pioneering case for a work of this kind, with quality comparable to or above European standards. A key outcome was the creation of a geographic and statistical data bank that can support local and municipal research. The article also describes the Geography Institute's academic infrastructure, including remote sensing and environmental analysis laboratories, and its collaborations with institutions such as Cuba's Academy of Sciences. The atlas is valued both as a scientific reference and as a planning tool for agriculture, urban development, environmental protection and industrial location. Its modular format allows updating and partial acquisition. The author concludes that the National Atlas of Mexico represents a genuine national cartographic achievement: although not a mythological Atlas, it sustains the entire country on its shoulders.

Kent, Robert B.

This review essay examines six national atlases of Latin America produced between 1985 and 1992: those of Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia. Its purpose is to evaluate their cartographic quality, thematic coverage, and scholarly value using comparative content analysis. The atlases vary notably in design and depth. Mexico’s three-volume loose-leaf atlas offers exceptional thematic breadth and innovative layout but lacks an index. Cuba’s monumental volume excels in high-quality cartography and detailed treatment of the physical environment. Colombia’s fourth edition concentrates heavily on reference mapping, often at the expense of thematic richness, while Peru’s atlas integrates extensive textual commentary with department-level satellite images. Panama’s atlas achieves a balanced mix of maps and interpretative text, while Bolivia’s version, though visually appealing, omits critical economic geography and fails to provide a geographical index or full bibliography. All volumes contain a wealth of original, primary-source-based information on physical, historical, social, and economic conditions. The review concludes that, despite their individual shortcomings, these atlases are indispensable reference works for any academic library supporting Latin American studies, serving as enduring resources for interdisciplinary research.

Bobinson, David J.

This review presents and evaluates the *Nuevo atlas nacional de México*, a monumental cartographic work produced by a team of 153 authors and collaborators led by Atlántida Coll-Hurtado and José María Casado Izquierdo. The purpose of the atlas is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality geographic portrait of Mexico through 726 maps and 353 graphics, drawing on data from over thirty national and international institutions, particularly the censuses of 2000 and the rich databases of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática. The work is organized into five principal sections—general, history, society, economy, and nature and environment—each introduced by texts explaining data sources, key patterns, and relevant bibliographies. The history section offers a detailed sequence of pre-Hispanic, colonial, and nineteenth-century maps, tracing exploration routes, epidemics, trade, and agrarian reform. The society section maps demographic dynamics, migration (including Mexico–U.S. flows and remittances), health, education, and regional development disparities. Economic maps cover agriculture, energy, industry, transportation, and commerce, revealing patterns such as the division between subsistence and technified farming zones, the spatial distribution of specific crops and industries, and the geography of foreign investment. The environmental section integrates climatic, geological, and biophysical data, including hazards and protected areas. The atlas demonstrates how careful combination of variables can interrelate processes and patterns, exemplified by maps of development levels and ecological protection. The review concludes that the atlas exhibits exceptional cartographic artistry, precision in color registration, and discreet documentation of authorship and scale. It stands as a landmark contribution to Mexican scholarship, and the author expresses the hope that an online version will make its riches accessible to a wider audience.

Pollack, Aaron

This review analyzes the *Nuevo Atlas Nacional de México* (2007), a comprehensive cartographic and textual compendium edited by Atlántida Coll-Hurtado and produced by the Instituto de Geografía at UNAM. The review examines the atlas’s structure, coverage, and scholarly contributions across its five thematic sections—general reference, history, society, economy, and environment. The atlas integrates the work of over 150 specialists to present 726 maps, 353 tables and diagrams, and interpretive texts that juxtapose diverse datasets. The review highlights the atlas’s thorough treatment of Mexico’s territorial evolution, internal and international migration, regional inequalities in access to services and consumer goods, and the spatial restructuring of the economy under neoliberal policies and NAFTA. Special attention is given to the economy section, which documents agricultural decline, the hyperconcentration of manufacturing, the explosive growth of maquiladoras, and the dominance of the service and informal sectors. The environment section is praised for mapping soil degradation, water contamination, and aquifer depletion. The reviewer commends the atlas for making visible the connections between economic processes and social and environmental outcomes, though notes that stronger explicit linkages between the economy and environment sections would have been beneficial. Gaps, such as the omission of narcotics trafficking and voting patterns, are acknowledged. The review concludes that despite minor unevenness, the atlas is an extraordinarily useful, well-organized reference tool for researchers and students across many disciplines, offering a data-rich portrait of Mexico in the early twenty-first century and serving as a necessary addition to Latin American collections.