Urban housing in México City from the census perspective (1753-1790)

Abstract

Using as source two historical census, this is a comparative analysis on urban housing in a neighborhood of New Spain´s capital city in the second half of the XVIII century. The paper is focused on the social and functional use of housing, considering ethnicity and occupation of the population, and characteristic of use of space. Based on this approach, two processes can be emphasized: the beginning of differentiation on the use of space, separating dwelling from working areas, as well as a zonal differentiation for specialized use, commercial wholesale on one side and artisan and petty commerce on the other. These are processes that point towards the end of colonial urban structure and the beginning of a notion of modern city with social and economic areas differentiated.