“El zoológico del porvenir”: narrativas y memorias de nación sobre el Zoológico de Chapultepec, Ciudad de México, siglo XX

Abstract

The article focuses on the history of Chapultepec Zoo (CZ), at Mexico City, over the 20th century. Idealized by the biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera and founded with the support of the president Alvaro Obregón, in 1923, the CZ integrated narratives about the nation and about the Mexican Revolution, in contexts of memory disputes and the construction of myths of nationality. Originality: This article is based on solid research on archives and libraries, and offers a new and unprecedented perspective on the history of CZ. On the one hand, it explores the first attempts of building a zoo at Mexico City during the porfiriato. On the other hand, it analyses the definite inauguration of CZ in 1923, becoming part of a master narrative about the nation and about the Mexican Revolution. Methodology: The research dialogs with environment history, science history, and political history, always based on extensive research on primary sources. With a specific focus on CZ, it opens the way for the analysis of the role of zoos in the broader context of contemporary societies, especially in Latin America. Conclusions: The diversity of narratives about CZ shows how the history of this institution has blended with practices, debates and political myths since its foundation. The CZ continues to face great challenges in the present and remains as a land of contestations and disputes, delineating a horizon of expectations projected simultaneously over the past, the present, and the future of Mexican society.

Keywords

• Chapultepec Zoo
• Mexico
• nation-building
• natural history
• porfiriato
• zoological garden