Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

For several years, studies on environmental conflicts have started to focus on the social and territorial effects of these disputes. These works addressing the productivities of conflicts have demonstrated their potential to regard these phenomena as transformation events. Territorial productivities refer to the territorial transformations that emerge from conflicts. These refer to changes in spatial representation and qualification and the creation of new territories, delineation of zones, changes in land use, and control. Here we find a less explored aspect that allows linking both dimensions and considers another modality of territorial productivity, dealing with the interpretation of territorial hallmarks that emerge in the context of conflicts. This study proposes to incorporate the interpretation of territorial hallmarks as a specific type of territorial productivity. To this end, it is essential to consider the contributions of the cultural approach of Geography, observing the materiality, the senses, and the practices articulated around these forms arising from the stakeholders involved in the conflicts. The Discussion section proposes considering territorial hallmarks as modalities and spaces that adopt or confirm meanings as a result of a social process within a given historical context. Territorial hallmarks add clarity to the relationship between the materiality of a form and the allocation of meaning, the creation and maintenance of which involve collective processes linked to a territorial project. This is the starting point for articulating considerations that allow us to focus on the symbolic and political value of hallmarks, spatial practices, and narratives articulated around these forms and that are intertwined with the construction of identities and memorization processes. To deepen the proposal, the article analyzes territorial hallmarks produced during a relevant national and Latin American environmental conflict: the dispute around open-pit mining in Esquel (Chubut, Argentina) since 2002. Two decades later, questions arise as to what territorial hallmarks have been built from collective actions and how they relate to the spatial meanings and practices of the community. These questions were addressed through a methodological design in line with the cultural approach of Geography, which assumes the challenge of accessing the interpretations and meanings, as well as the various opinions and practices of the local urban inhabitants. In this respect, the Methodology section addresses the characteristics of fieldwork in Esquel, based on Lindon's considerations in his proposal of geographical constructivism. In addition to in-depth work considering different secondary sources – academic studies and audiovisual productions, among others – to reconstruct the events and process of the case, fieldwork combined the observation and photographic record of possible territorial hallmarks with non-directive interviews in which the different images of forms sought to favor free association processes and stimulate accounts about spatial practices and meanings. Interviews were conducted in March 2021 with residents of Esquel having different conceptions and degrees of involvement in the environmental conflict. These interviews allowed for evaluating to what extent the forms photographed can be considered territorial hallmarks of the conflict. From this work, the Results section analyzes three territorial hallmarks that emerged from the collective actions in Esquel in opposition to open-pit mining and the way in which these are conceived by the local community. Each has its own characteristics: a "No to the mine" legend written with painted stones on the hill closest to the city, a place that is considered the location of collective actions, and a plaque commemorating the referendum in a central corner facing the building that was once the office of the mining company Meridian Gold. The analysis of these forms from the stories of people involved in different ways in the conflict illustrates various aspects discussed from the conceptualization of territorial hallmarks. Additionally, this analysis aims to show that territorial hallmarks have meanings and carry narratives of the conflicts, sometimes dissimilar or antagonistic according to the perspective of different social stakeholders, but which contribute to sustaining conflicts as a backbone of the territorial project of communities.

This article explains the main causes, dynamics, and effects of the expansion of the concession area granted to mining companies in Mexico. To this end, the company Industrias Peñoles was used as a case study, limiting the period of analysis from 1982 to 2018. The selection of this mining corporation was not fortuitous. With more than a century of history, it deviates from the generalizations and types of cases addressed by the specialized literature: foreign-capital companies, especially Canadian ones, which own open-pit operations and mining projects that have caused risks or adverse environmental effects and social conflicts. By contrast, Industrias Peñoles is a Mexican company that, despite having records of serious environmental impacts, is the world’s largest producer of silver, one of the largest producers of bismuth, zinc, and lead, and the second-largest producer of gold in Mexico. These features provide an interesting perspective to consider, at the company level, the economic and territorial factors that define the layout and dynamics of mining concession granting. In addition to reviewing the sources, we followed three methodological approaches: 1) identification of the concessions granted to the 14 mining corporations that were among the 500 most important companies in Mexico in 2018; 2) identification and review of the concessions granted to Industrias Peñoles and its subsidiary Fresnillo Plc.; 3) analysis of the titles issued to this company in the municipality of Fresnillo through the compilation of 100 files. Refined data were represented through tables, graphs, and maps. Three main results are described: a) Industrias Peñoles is the second top company concentrating the largest concession area in Mexico, with a total of 3.1 million hectares distributed in 22 states; b) 77% of the mining concessions were obtained in the period 2001-2012; c) the municipality of Fresnillo manages seven out of every ten hectares under concession. It is stressed that, along with financial speculation, the monopoly over large areas of the subsoil is one of the main causes of the territorial expansion of mining concessions because they represent a geographic barrier based on the uniqueness of the location, in addition to another temporary barrier supported in the centennial validity allowed by the current mining law. Altogether, both barriers represent a territorial strategy that creates or protects monopoly power, making it possible to appropriate a differential income. It is pointed out that the grabbing of the subsoil and the privatization of the soil have resulted in reduced remuneration to the public accounts; in addition, it has transformed ejido land in terms of its use and landscape, which has led to social conflict. It is concluded that in addition to yielding huge profits, the monopolization of mining land enables the very existence of rentier mining capital. The above information is arranged in the following order. First, the methodological approaches used for obtaining and conducting the spatial analysis of the data are detailed. Second, the main legislative changes directly affecting mining concessions are outlined. The following sections highlight the results obtained, starting with the spatial evolution of the mining titles at the national level and those granted to the main mining firms. Then, the temporal and spatial dynamics of the area granted to Industrias Peñoles are reviewed by six-year term and state, emphasizing the grabbing of titles. Finally, the factors that explain the expansion are discussed by analyzing the evolution of mining concessions in Fresnillo, a municipality where the company controls the world’s largest silver deposit. The conclusions are then outlined, mentioning the constraints of the research; additionally, some recommendations are made based on the findings.

The Black Christs are devotional figures that catalyze different meanings through the colour of its skin. In the Central American context, its complexion reminds elements of the pre-Hispanic past and the link that the original peoples had with the land. Of all of them, one of the most representative due to its spiritual magnetism is the Señor de Esquipulas, Guatemala, whose devotion is distributed in large areas of Central America and the United States, as a result of different periods in which his image has expanded, anchored and resignified in these territories. From the point of view of spatial diffusion theories, this paper shows the processes that have led the devotion to the Lord of Esquipulas to be present in California and other US territories. To achieve this, this research applies a descriptive-explanatory qualitative research design to evidence the spread of this devotion. The methodological strategy was supported by a hemerographic analysis and fieldwork in the state of California during July 2022 that, guided by the principles of multi-sited ethnography, allowed to reconstruct geohistorical diffusion scenarios. Finally, it is revealed that the diffusion process in California is polycentralized and is linked with the relocation model due to the different paths followed by the devotees in their migration process and assimilation in USA.

Among the natural events that have caused great human and economic damage in the world, rockslides occurring on unstable slopes, due to their geological and geomorphological characteristics, together with the triggering factors (earthquakes, torrential rains, anthropogenic processes) that accelerate their fall, stand out. Population growth and the economic position prevailing in many social nuclei, mostly in extreme poverty and in need of housing, is reflected in the occupation of hillside areas, without considering the dangers of rock falls. In areas susceptible to this process, studies have been carried out using various methodologies to determine its causes, the degree of impact on the population living there and the probability of preventing or mitigating it. Since the industrialization during the 1970s in part of the Basin of Mexico and adjacent to the Sierra de Guadalupe, migrants from different states arrived in search of employment, which increased the demand for urban land and, consequently, the territorial occupation of the hillsides of the sierra, where some leaders offered them land at low cost, without considering the risk to which they are exposed by landslides and falling blocks, mainly during the rainy season or when seismic events occur. The formation of the sierra derives from Pleistocene volcanic activity, which has given rise to several volcanoes, domes and spills that present fractures (diaclases) and faults of tectonic origin, with a predominant NW-SE and E-W direction. Prior to intense urbanization the area was used to exploit material banks, which was often done with the help of dynamite for the extraction of materials, which in some areas intensified the fracturing by blasting effects. During the earthquakes that occurred in September 2017, 2 large unstable blocks detached from the dome called "Cerro Gordo", located in the southern portion of the study area. The study area corresponds to the locality of Área Nueva, which is located in the NE portion of the Sierra de Guadalupe, on the southern slope of the La Cantera dome, and which presents an intensely diaclased and fractured escarpment, 450 m long and an average height of 30 m. In this study, an inventory of 114 rockfall deposits was carried out, in which the geographic position, altitude, slope, distance from the escarpment, volume and adherence of the block to the ground surface were obtained for the blocks. With this information and the use of geographic information systems, slope, terrain curvature and geomorphological maps were prepared. The vegetation index (NVDI) was obtained with Sentinel satellite information (analysis of satellite images from 2016 to 2021). In addition to the inventory of rockfall deposits, images of the study area were obtained from a low-altitude drone, whose overflight was at an altitude of 80 m, and the information was subsequently processed to obtain the orthophoto and digital elevation model (DEM). With this information, a statistical analysis was carried out to determine the distribution of the blocks, their size and their potential travel distance. From the results obtained, it was observed that the slope grade significantly influences the potential travel distance of the unstable rock blocks. The distance of travel of the rocks is less when the slopes are greater than 45°, corresponding to the location of the escarpment, and the blocks of smaller volume are those that reach greater distances; however, due to the proximity of human settlements (120 m from the escarpment) and deforestation, the possibility of the blocks breaking off and impacting houses and people increases, causing considerable damage. This risk increases due to the fact that informal constructions continue to be built on the hillside (the "Ricardo Flores Magón" educational complex) and a dirt road cut located between the lower part of the dome and the residential area that connects with other neighborhoods located behind it, which means that there is continuous traffic of inhabitants and their recreational activities. Likewise, deforestation has exposed potentially unstable blocks, which, together with triggering events such as torrential rains and regional and local seismicity, increases the susceptibility to rock falls. Based on the statistical analysis and the field inventory, it is recommended that the larger unstable blocks be stabilized with anchors, prevent further construction by establishing a safety strip of at least 100 meters from the base of the escarpment, and carry out reforestation programs with forest plantations native to the region. Raise awareness among the population about the risks of rockfall events in the area and restrict access in order to prevent and mitigate any event that could occur due to this type of process.

Marine resources are crucial concerning food sovereignty and nutrition by providing food and income. In the state of Yucatan, fishing represents an activity of great socioeconomic importance. The investigation includes office and field work. It is striking that fishing is often kept out of discussions related to food security and nutrition. However, several goals about the Sustainable Development in the 2030 Agenda deal with them. The first one (SDG1) intends to abolish poverty in its entirety. SDG2 encourages to end poverty, to reach food safety and improve nutrition standards. SDG14 backs the conservation and sustainable exploitation of oceans, seas and their resources. Regarding that international framework, this research targets to disclose the consumption habits, as well as the nutritional value of the marine resources from the intake of Yucatán fishermen (Mexico). This federal entity comprises 373 km of coast and 15 fishing communities: Celestún, Sisal, Chuburná, Chelem, Progreso/Yucalpetén, Chicxulub, Telchac Puerto, San Crisanto, Chabihau, Santa Clara, Dzilam de Bravo, San Felipe, Río Lagartos, Las Coloradas y El Cuyo. According to official records, it is about 15,000 people that work as commercial fishermen in Yucatán, therefore having some remarkable socioeconomic impact on the coastal areas. The secondary objectives are  1.- to identify the different species of fish and shellfish consumed by fishermen; 2.- to recognize their habits and the frequency of their consumption (by fishermen); and 3.- to determine the nutritional contribution of the different species of fish and shellfish in relation to the form and frequency of consumption. To achieve these, a semi structured questionnaire was used to interview the fishermen living in the above-mentioned communities. It was arranged in three fields: “Socioeconomic profile of the fisherman”, holding eight questions, “General data concerning health”, containing four questions and “Nutritional and Consumption habits”, including twenty-six questions. The interviews were held in their working areas: the shore, the dock and the hold, during two field trips in February and March, 2022. Qualitative information was analysed by the Strauss and Corbin (2002) standards, that is, codifying and comparing to spot patterns and relations. It was by the Bravo criteria (2010) that the nutritional composition of the several species ingested was calculated: the portion (the food helping for a person), its nutritional value (the amount of macronutrients per helping) and the net weigh (the edible food bit). To conclude, the nutritional qualities (energy, total fat, carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins) of the products coming from the fishing described by the Spanish Aquaculture Observatory (Centro Técnico Nacional de Conservación de Productos de la Pesca y Acuacultura, 2012). All in all, it was 498 questionnaires considered, all the samples devoted to commercial fishing, having a male age scope between 18 and 78 and a female scope between 26 and 53.   It was found fishermen consume all the species they capture; the three predominant species are grouper, blonde and canané. The frequency of consumption of fish is from 2 to 4 days a week and of shellfish is from 1 to 2 days a week. Marine resources are their main source of animal protein: for each 100 g of protein, fish contribute between 14.5 and 24.7 g and shellfish between 14.9 and 20.3 g. Based on the information collected in the study sample, the characteristics and factors associated with fish and seafood consumption were analyzed, and the average protein content was determined. The most-consumed species with the highest protein content are greater amberjack and sea snail, and the species having a lower protein content are jolthead porgy and octopus. Abundant healthy fats are mainly present in pompano and shrimp; these species also stand out for their fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamin content. Fishermen have a diverse diet by the consumption of both eggs and meat, not due to the nutritional value they provide but, their varied taste. There is not much chance for the intake of livestock in many of the evaluated communities. The market days devoted to selling this meat depend on the slaughter dates and the chances of its transportation. Fishermen also argued bovine meat price is high, having in the intake of chicken and pork the opportunity to have a more varied diet. It is in fishing where the population with lower income finds enough animal protein levels, bearing in mind the outstanding lack of information concerning the nutritional value regarding some local fish consumption.

This study discusses the old map category that is recurrent in the literature on the history of cartography. To this end, we analyzed two cases — one in Chile and the other in Argentina — which, despite their unique characteristics and differences between them, share some common features. These allow for concluding that the designation of maps as old does not strictly refer to the passage of time but results from a set of factors, including ideological, institutional, conjunctural, and material aspects. In this sense, this article contributes to the field of studies addressing the history of cartography, the history of collections and archives, and their intellectual foundations in a period spanning from the late 19th century to mid 20th century. The first map library analyzed corresponds to the collection gathered by the bibliophile, editor, and historian José Toribio Medina (1852-1930), which today is part of the Medina Room at the National Library of Chile. This collection was created in the last decade of the 19th century and is currently one of the main cartographic collections of Chile, along with the Map Library of the National Archive and the Map Library of the National Library. The second map library belongs to the Department of Historical and Cartographic Research of the Province of Buenos Aires (Geodesy Archive). In this case, the cartographic collection corresponds to an archive and is the result of the submission of materials derived from the work of the surveying technicians, who were requested to deliver a copy to the institution. José Maria Prado (1896–2002), a government officer credited with revaluing these materials for new uses of technically obsolete maps, was involved in the review of this archive. We analyzed the texts related to the conformation of both map libraries: notes, descriptions, catalogs, and other documents of the time. The analysis of these materials revealed that the formative processes of both map libraries share at least two common aspects: the unintentional, unplanned practice that gave rise to them; and the close relationship between the valuation of the cartographic collection and the aim to recount a history of cartography and the territory; the combination of both characteristics defines the antiquity of the map. When identified as old, the cartographic material was available to undergo various historiographical processes. These maps would be used to build genealogies of the national or provincial present by becoming a material imprint of past truths or ancient testimonies of lasting truths; or, by making their obsolescence explicit, introducing a critical distance from past events. As a result, a patina was recognized that granted these maps renewed validity and legitimacy, regardless of their effective material characteristics. This conception even justified that besides the maps that had already been given the old status, others could be added, which, being contemporary, were bound to become obsolete through time.

The Mixteca Alta UNESCO Global Geopark (GMUMA) is in the western portion of the State of Oaxaca and stands out for having a variety of geological and geomorphological features, some of which represented by intrusive igneous bodies. Among them are the exposed dikes in the towns of Santo Domingo Tonaltepec, Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán, and San Pedro Añañé. These tabular bodies cut unconformably through the subsurface rocks and often develop as swarms of individual dikes with parallel, linear, or radial orientations under the influence of other tectonic events or geological structures. In this research, the dikes present in the GMUMA were identified and mapped through the analysis of satellite images and taking into account field observations, where their presence was compared, and the associated geological-structural features were identified. Likewise, with the help of the Stereo32 1.0.1 program, a total of 66 directions of the dikes were graphed and rose diagrams were elaborated to visualize the preferential direction of the dikes and relate it to the tectonic regime of the region. Three groups of dikes were identified with longitudinal traces that vary from a few meters to 1 km and with approximate thicknesses of between 4 and 5 m, with a preferential direction towards the northwest. The dikes exhibit three types of morphologies: planar stepped and braided, whose interpretation and directions allowed us to establish that the dikes are associated with an extensive tectono-magmatic event that remained active during the Eocene, with a preferential direction towards the northwest-southeast, like the orientation of the Tamazulapan and Cieneguilla faults.

The history and theory of landscape have included thoughts on its parallel development as an analytical concept and as a visual and pictorial genre. In this context, the work of the polymath Alexander von Humboldt is a reference, since he considered the aesthetics and epistemology of landscape substantial elements of his notion of “physiognomy”. Through the cases of Humboldt, the Bavarian painter Johann Moritz Rugendas, and the images that the latter made for Christian Sartorius’s book, this article proposes an analysis of the development of landscape aesthetics as part of the interdisciplinary framework of geography and geology, and their networks of agents, which were interested in the mutual dependence of scientific knowledge and industrial development. The selected approach explores the visual construction of landscape and the scientific and social trajectories involved in its production. The case of the Jorullo volcano exemplifies the way aesthetics of landscape were used to generalize geological knowledge and, equally, one geography for the colonization of Mexico. Through the case of the Colima volcano, the simultaneous production of landscape, geological, geographical, and cartographic observations is examined, as well as viewpoints on industrial modernization. This constellation is named: the “Humboldtian landscape complex”.

Busto Ibarra, K. (2022). El Pacífico mexicano y sus transformaciones: integración marítima y terrestre en la configuración de un espacio internacional, 1848-1927. México: El Colegio de México, 447 pp. ISBN 978-607-564-333-5.

Méndez Gómez, D. (2022). El Mapa de Atenco-Mixquiahuala: análisis toponímico y cartográfico. México: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Instituto Nacional de Estudios Históricos de las Revoluciones de México. 430 pp., ISBN INAH 978-607-539-647-3, ISBN INEHRM 978-607-549-348-0. Edición en formato electrónico disponible en https://www.inehrm.gob.mx/recursos/Libros/El_mapa_de_Atenco_Mixquihuala.pdf