Town Planning Reforms Made in the Historical Town of Guadalajara in the Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century Analyzed Through the Cartography of the Spanish Geographic and Statistical Institute

Abstract

Regardless of prior settlements, the town of Guadalajara was founded during the Muslim rule with a clear defensive role. Its original settlement gradually expanded and took shape according to the different emerging functions. The town kept the medieval character of its layout until the 19th century. However, when most of its religious buildings disappeared, the town underwent many planning reforms that largely determined today's layout of the historic centre. This paper studies the significance of the cartography created by the Spanish Geographical and Statistical Institute (Instituto Geografico y Estadistico) headed by Ibanez Ibero on the town of Guadalajara between 1878 and 1880, as a documentary source to research the evolution in the town's architecture and urban planning. Given the solid reliability of this cartography, its value is extraordinary and may also be used to validate or challenge many other documents that complement it. This paper includes specific examples of the findings from this research.