Guadalajara Census Project, Volume I: The Guadalajara Censuses of 1821 and 1822 (review)

This 624 megabyte bilingual CD-ROM contains databases in Access, Excel, and SPSS that detail 56,573 individuals, 12,685 families, and 10,256 households recorded by census takers in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1821 and 1822; archive files in Excel and SPSS conserve the original Spanish spelling of names and occupations. Complementing the databases are a digitized .pdf file of the original 1821 census for one Guadalajara census and a digitized version of an 1824 census of Atotonilco, a nearby community. The result of over a decade of work, the databases and tables offer researchers the opportunity to analyze gender, caste, class, age, occupation, residential patterns, migration patterns, and a host of other variables. GIS compatible data files and links to online sites where users may download GIS software will permit spatial analyses. Researchers and students will find this a valuable teaching and research tool.

Genealogists will also appreciate this resource. Complementing the databases, bilingual text files explain the history of the Guadalajara Census Project along with a history of Guadalajara and a history of colonial censuses. Several historical maps of Guadalajara add a valuable visual component. And the guides, tutorials, and a comprehensive text version of the codebook explain how to access, use, and analyze the information.

Technically, the CD-ROM has an attractive design, obvious navigational tools, and uncluttered screen display. Designed to work on computers with Windows 98 to XP, it is not clear if the CD-ROM is fully compatible with older Macintosh computers. Other than the occasional irritating spelling error, users will find this a flexible tool. It clearly is much more useful than simply providing a .pdf version of the censuses or a database that includes no explanatory information about how to use it, a recent approach taken with Mexico City historical and property censuses. Pedagogically, this is a sound product.