1886 Debray Chromolithograph Map of Mexico City

This is a rare, colorful plan of Mexico City, published in 1886 by the lithographers DeBray Sucesores based on official data from the Mexico City government. It reflects the efforts whereby Porfiro Díaz (1830 - 1915), influenced in particular by Paris' transformation under Haussmann, sought to modernize and embellish the city, to match the great capitals of Europe.

Overview

The plan is centered on the Alameda Central, and uses color to differentiate built-up areas, green spaces, and areas available for development. The result is a beautiful, balanced work far from the Spartan aesthetic one might expect from an official document. This brightly colored and clearly-lettered plan highlights the city's boulevards and parks. An inset map details the Bosque de Chapultepec, highlighting the military school on its grounds.

The (unjustifiably obscure) Mexican lithographer Debray appears to have had a long relationship with the city government, dating to the life of the firm's patriarch, Victor Debray. He printed a plan of the city in 1875, updated in 1880, which formed the basis for the present work. This map introduces new administrative divisions of the city, and reflects significant development not apparent in the earlier map - not only indicating the spread of general construction, but also alterations of monumental aspects of the city, and drastic expansion of the city's railroads. New public construction is marked in bold black outline, and keyed by number to the pamphlet. Later official works, both published by Debray and by Montauriol, appear to have used the present work as foundation.

Publication History and Census

This plan was printed to accompany the pamphlet Nueva Subdivision de la Ciudad de Mexico, printed on behalf of the city by Francisco Diaz de Leon in 1886. We see only one example of the plan in institutional collections, at Princeton University; another example is held in David Rumsey's collection, in the book. A significantly smaller version of the plan published in 1889 is cataloged by the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas at Austin. We see nine examples of Nueva Subdivision de la Ciudad de Mexico in OCLC, none of which are noted to contain a map.