Land use change in New Spain : a three-dimensional historical GIS analysis

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This article focuses on a case study area in New Spain, roughly equivalent to present-day Mexico, wherein forty-seven sheep ranches were established through viceregal land grants between 1535 and 1610. An integration of fieldwork, textual analysis of land grants, and imagery analysis enables these ranches to be mapped in a three-dimensional geographic information system environment. The key findings are that grantees harbored a persistent preference for south-facing land; ranches clustered most heavily on isolated elevations. These results offer a fresh perspective on the local-scale processes of land use change that resulted from the European colonization of the New World.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
The Professional geographer, issn : 0033-0124, 2014, vol. 66, n°. 2, p. 260-273, nombre de pages : 14, Références bibliographiques : 3 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Etats-Unis, Cambridge, MA, Blackwell