1936 El Modelo Pictorial Map of Mexico

This is a c. 1936 El Modelo pictorial map of Mexico celebrating the opening of the National Road from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo. This new highway - the first direct route between Mexico City and the United States, inaugurated on July 1, 1936 - is highlighted here in black. Seen as a means of promoting connection and tourism between Mexico and the U.S., the highway begins at the International Bridge connecting Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas and stretches over 1,200 miles to Mexico City. Green lines trace other major highways in Mexico, while blue lines follow highways in Texas south of San Antonio. Pictorial vignettes throughout Mexico lend the piece a high level of charm. A printed photograph of the Gran Hotel Ancira in Monterey emphasizes the idea of tourism in Mexico. A terrain profile view from Nuevo Laredo to Mexico City is situated along the bottom of the sheet, showing the elevations experienced over the route as well as the distance between cities and towns encountered along the way.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by El Modelo S. A. in Monterrey, Mexico, c. 1936. Only one example of this map, tentatively dated 1939 based on a manuscript notation, is listed in OCLC.