This article examines the travels of Peter Gerhard and Ángel Bassols Batalla through the Baja California in the 1950s from a comparative perspective. From the theoretical viewpoints of the history of geography and the geographical journey as sources of information and working method in situ, the observation and empirical knowledge of the territory are established. The traveling style of both authors involves a cultural consideration, since an invented space emerges before their eyes from their own experience in the peninsula.As a traveler, Peter Gerhard journeyed the peninsula seeking the ancient missions that distinguished Baja California. That is why he organizad and integrated the information in a guide, in collaboration with Howard E. Gulick. He conceived the guide for tourists of the United States interested in this region so close to their country. Published in 1956, the guide became the most complete instrument for vacationists in general, and also for sport fishermen, hunters, explorers and campers. Although the guide was aimed for drivers, it also provided precise facts for people sailing in yachts or arriving in private planes. Due to their knowledge of the peninsular space, Gerhard and Gulick designed a series of maps by sections, and they proposed ten routes that could be followed, most of them by land, to arrive at any place through main roads, trails or paths, where travel was only possible by foot or mule. The routes, the historical and cultural aspects, as well as the practical recommendations for tourists given in the guide, prepared the way for what tourists would expect to look with their own eyes, and at the same time it facilitated mobility in a distant and isolated territory. In sum, as a traveler, Gerhard integrated a practical, pleasant and playful image for tourists of the United States that, with the speed and safety of the automobile could enjoy the sun, beaches, ranches, and embark in the adventure of the historical past at mission sites, in addition to hunting and sport-fishing.On the other hand, Bassols Batalla went deep into the territory as an explorer. He highlighted the value of his expeditions to Baja California by applying a geo-economic analysis methodology based in natural resources, he focused on productive activities (agriculture, cattle breeding, mining and hydraulic and sea undertakings), and became aware of the reality and problems of this region. For him, such perspective transformed the way of understanding the economic and social planning of Mexico. The relevant issue was the settling of the territory, the availability of water for irrigation, the study of soils and vegetation, the timber reserves in the forests, as well as the conservation and rational exploitation of fauna. Mining required more attention and a thorough examination of its reserves. Bassols Batalla expressed his opinions about the conservation of historical monuments, especially regarding the Jesuit and Dominican missions of the peninsula. Industrialization, and agriculture with its diversification in new cultivation areas, was a source of employment. For Bassols it was necessary to transform the roads and open a trans-peninsular highway to favor tourism and local development. In the eyes of this geographer, Baja California was the region of the future, but he concluded that first it was necessary to favor colonization, to consolidate the State and promote the national interest, as well as the reassertion of sovereignty.Finally, the comparison between the visions of Gerhard and Bassols show coincidences and differences that help comprehend the relevance of geographic travel as a source of information and as a working method, essential to understand the reality of an isolated region of Mexico. When Baja California was still isolated from the rest of the country, and at the same time its economic potential and its attractive landscape began to capture the public attention, the journeys of these authors, succeeded in inserting or adding the peninsula in the social imaginary of both the United States and Mexico.
Read full abstract
Jul 1, 2024
Omar Hassan Hussein + 1
Open Access
