German Residents in Mexico Photographic Album

Collection — Box: 2022-008

Identifier: 2022-008

Scope and Contents

This collection is a photo album of 26 card stock leaves containing 197 mounted gelatin silver photographs from approximately the 1910s depicting daily life of German residents in Mexico City, Mexico. Photographs are mostly uncaptioned, except for 2 captioned in the German language, and measure approximately 3¼” x 4½”. The images feature shops and markets, families partaking in various forms of recreation, and some national landmarks such as the National Palace and Basilica de Guadalupe. Three photographs capture the destruction of buildings after the Ten Tragic Days of the Mexican Revolution. One photograph displaying a Jewish star on a pillar indicates that German Jews were among the residents who settled in Mexico City.

Dates

Creation: circa 1910s

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections. For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Mexico went through a period of economic development and governmental restructuring followed by the Mexican Revolution. This time, known as the Porfiriato (so-named when General Porfirio Díaz ruled as president), saw the country going through many transitional periods. President Díaz’s long term saw the country expand its agricultural economy by encouraging European immigrants to settle in the central and southern regions. With an influx of residents in Mexico, other industries and imports expanded to support a growing economy.

The Mexican Revolution was a series of armed regional conflicts from approximately 1910-1920. The bombardment, prison rebellions, and uprisings that occurred in Mexico City in February 1913 became known as the Ten Tragic Days. The city saw destruction of public and private buildings.