Pair of Beautifully Drawn Manuscript Plans of Hacienda El Carmen in Tehuacán, Puebla, Mexico
Two handsome and detailed pen and ink plans of a 17th-century hacienda property in the Mexican state of Puebla. The first map is a detailed plan of the area around the Hacienda El Carmen, north of the town of Tehuacán. The map extends north to the area of San José Ixtapa. The map includes topographical details, including elevation contour lines, mesas, creeks, etc., along with roads and what appears to be a train line. There are three Ejido's separately colored, in addition to the Hacienda El Carmen, with the boundaries of the numerous pueblos shown.
The second map, which is signed and dated, "A. Marquiz, Puebla, Marzo de 1900," styles itself as based on data taken from an 1871 plan by the engineers Rosenzweig. This map is full of details, with dozens of villages, ranches, springs, houses, and other sites noted. Topographical details, including elevation contour lines, are carefully drawn. A chart lists the various properties depicted, including the size of the parcels in square hectares.
The Hacienda El Carmen, now known as the Ex-Hacienda Francisco Javier Chapulco, was originally occupied by Jesuits in the 17th century. In later years members of the Carmelite order inhabited the property. By the 19th century it was renamed Hacienda El Carmen Chapulco.
According to regional historian Luis Balderas Vega, the property was expropriated under the Agricultural Reforms set forth by the Mexican Constitution of 1917.
Rarity
Such finely executed large-scale plans of Mexican haciendas are rare in the market.