Una península casi isla, 10 company towns y un proyecto territorial

• Autores: Enrique Esteban Gómez Cavazos
• Directores de la Tesis: Joaquim Sabaté Bel (dir. tes.), Melisa Pesoa Marcilla (codir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) ( España ) en 2019
• Idioma: español
• Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Miquel Corominas i Ayala (presid.), Pamela Duran Díaz (secret.), Pere Vall Casas (voc.)
• Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Urbanismo por la Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya
• Materias:
  • Ciencias tecnológicas
    • Planificación urbana
      • Medio urbano
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• Resumen

  • The company towns in Baja California peninsula may be considered an instrument of development of this territory in the late nineteenth century till early twentieth century. The Mexican government took advantage of the early industrialization in this part of the country using an unprecedented economic strategy: the great challenge to try to occupy a long and narrow peninsula that was scarcely populated. In Mexico with the Law of colonization and demarcations of land emerged in 1880 during the Porfirian goverment, allowed to award contracts to individuals and companies in order to exploit the natural resources in the peninsula of Baja California, with the aim that they should promote productive development and colonization of the area. The large territorial concessions mostly to foreign capital to colonize this region are the examples that develop the region, like the investments of the International Company of Mexico who came to control 62.000 km2 (half of the peninsula), this was US capital after passed to British capital and started operations at the port of Ensenada, the same company plans his urban development. The agricultural colony of Tecate had a great urban impulse with the arrival of the railroad and great investments brought by the company take place in the border. Also, the company had the intention to locate in San Quintin an agricultural hub. In the north of the peninsula also the US capital with the Colorado River Land Company that performed the feat to irrigate the desert border between Mexico and the United States, develops an area of 340.000 hectares on the mexican side, diverting the cause of the great Colorado River constructing canals to start agricultural development with populations like Mexicali in Mexico side and Calexico in the United States, this to consolidate the international border. It is important to mention within this territory a small concession to the New Pedrara Mexican Onyx Company that exploded and stablish a little industrial colony in the late nineteenth century to export large amount of mineral to the US. The territorial concession for the exploitation of Guerrero Negro salt is perhaps the most significant case today as it has become the first industrial exporter of salt in the world. Other significative example is the Compagnie du Boleo, a french company that obtain from the mexican government a concession and took over a total area of 20.627 hectares where copper exploded and built a functional industrial city in the peninsular center. The concessions of some islands in the Gulf of California like the island of El Carmen by the Pacific Salt Company Limited of London that develop holdings salt works, or San Marcos islands with his industrial colony owned by the Mexican Western Company that continues operating and exports plaster to North America. Finally the urban emergence of El Triunfo and San Antonio by British and American companies as the Progreso Mining Company and Gold and Silver Mining Company make the large mining concessions in this historical period, and because through these large industries they built towns and industrial cities to consolidate this long territory. This thesis aims to read the first industrialization of the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur through a check list of 10 cases where companies designed populations in this area, defending the hypothesis that the modernization plan of the Porfirian goverment was linked to the industry and was very important, focused in urban models of ocupation, and it contains a rich industrial heritage which today has valuable examples of original layouts, architecture, facilities, mines, factories, ports, docks, chimneys, canals, bridges, houses and entire villages that could be considered industrial heritage of the country and they could withstand a future interventions strategies revaluing its urban and territorial identity.