21 Oct 2025
From October 16 to 18, the event Mapping from Mexico: New Narratives for the History of Cartography was held in the city of Chicago. This gathering was part of the prestigious Nebenzahl Lectures, organized every three years since 1966 by the Newberry Library—one of the city’s most iconic cultural institutions, dedicated to the preservation of historical materials, including valuable maps of Mexico. The event brought together experts in the history of cartography from various cultural and academic institutions, including three researchers connected to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM):
Dr. Guadalupe Pinzón Ríos from the Institute of Historical Research,
Dr. Raquel Urroz Kanán, graduate of the Institute of Anthropological Research, and
Mónica Ramírez Bernal, currently a PhD student at Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Raquel Urroz Kanán delivered the keynote lecture titled Experience in the Study of Ancient Maps in Mexico: Theoretical and Cultural Dimensions, in which she offered, in her own words, “a schematic overview of authors, both in Mexico and the United States, who have studied ancient maps as primary objects of analysis; the fields of social sciences that indirectly treat ancient maps as documentary and historical sources; and the different methodologies for decoding, reading, and interpreting ancient maps—sometimes in light of present-day territorialities and their spatial conflicts.”
Dr. Guadalupe Pinzón Ríos presented the paper The Naval Department of San Blas: A Hub for Geographic Knowledge and Navigation Experiences in the Northwest Pacific, in which she addressed voyages organized from colonial Mexico. She emphasized that her presentation aimed to “reconsider how this territory was part of global networks and scientific and cartographic experiences of the early modern period—highlighting its central and connecting role, which in turn allowed it to function as a meeting point for experiences, ideas, and knowledge of that era.”
She also pointed out that the event was held “in a context of great pressure on Latin American communities in the United States,” and celebrated that the gathering “has shown how various academic groups are interested in Mexico, in its history, and in the sources that speak about it.”
Astrida Orle Tantillo, president of the Newberry Library, praised the event’s organization and the collaboration among institutions. David Weimer, director of the Smith Center for the History of Cartography and map curator at the library, acknowledged the key role of UNAM Chicago as “a fundamental partner in making these Nebenzahl Lectures a success,” and added:
“At every step—from generating ideas to selecting speakers and organizing the program—they have helped both the Newberry and the Smith Center ensure that the event was enriching for all.”
Taking advantage of their stay in the city, the UNAM scholars also participated in a series of lectures on cartography organized jointly by UNAM Chicago and the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Chicago, directed by Dr. Claudia Brittenham.
In this context, Dr. Urroz Kanán gave the lecture Ambiguity in Cartography: Symbolic Possessions and Territorial Uncertainty in the New World, while Dr. Pinzón Ríos presented The Northern Pacific: English Maritime Maps and Projects of the 18th Century. Referring to the presence of the academics in Chicago, Dr.Brittenham said “It is always a great pleasure to work with UNAM-Chicago to welcome distinguished researchers from Mexico to the University of Chicago. We have learned so much from the two talks given by Drs. Kanan and Pinzón. I know I won’t look at maps—neither of our hemisphere nor of the seas—in the same way after their contributions.”
The presence of UNAM researchers in these prominent international forums highlights the University’s active role in global discussions on the history of cartography and its connection to the historical, territorial, and cultural processes that have shaped the American space.
