| Journal: | Investigaciones geográficas - Instituto de Geografía. UNAM |
| Database: | PERIÓDICA |
| System number: | 000385936 |
| ISSN: | 0188-4611 |
| Authors: | Mendoza Vargas, Héctor1 Busto Ibarra, Karina2 |
| Institutions: | 1Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geografía, México, Distrito Federal. México 2El Colegio de México, México, Distrito Federal. México |
| Year: | 2015 |
| Season: | Abr |
| Number: | 86 |
| Pages: | 98-115 |
| Country: | México |
| Language: | Español |
| Document type: | Artículo |
| Approach: | Analítico, descriptivo |
| Spanish abstract | Este artículo examina los viajes de Peter Gerhard y Ángel Bassols Batalla por la Baja California en los años cincuenta. Ante sus ojos emerge un espacio inventado a partir de la experiencia de cada uno en la península. Gerhard, como viajero, integraba una imagen práctica, placentera y lúdica dirigida a los turistas estadounidenses que con la rapidez y la seguridad del automóvil, podrían disfrutar del sol, las playas, los ranchos y la aventura del pasado histórico en los sitios misionales, además de la caza y la pesca deportiva. Por su parte, Bassols Batalla se adentró al territorio como explorador y, a través de una planeación racional de sus travesías y del análisis geoeconómico como metodología, concluyó que era necesario favorecer la colonización, la consolidación del Estado, el interés nacional y la reafirmación de la soberanía. La comparación entre las visiones de ambos autores señala coincidencias y diferencias que ayudan a comprender la relevancia del viaje geográfico como fuente de información y método de trabajo, indispensable para entender la realidad de una región aislada de México |
| English abstract | 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 organized 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 |
| Disciplines: | Geografía |
| Keyword: | Geografía humana, Turismo, Viajes, Exploraciones geográficas, Aislamiento, Geógrafos, Gerhard, Peter, Bassols Batalla, Angel, Baja California, México |
| Keyword: | Geography, Human geography, Tourism, Travels, Geographic exploration, Isolation, Geographers, Gerhard, Peter, Bassols Batalla, Angel, Baja California, Mexico |
| Full text: | Texto completo (Ver PDF) |
