Bernice I. Goodspeed’s Map of Mexico City [Title on cover]

Mid-century guide map to Mexico City created by an American expat couple.

This charming map of Mexico City was illustrated by Carl Pappe and published by his wife, Bernice Goodspeed, in 1951. It is the sixth edition issued by the couple from their home in Taxco, a small town famed for its silver production.

The image provides a clearly legible overview of the Mexican capital during a period of tremendous growth and development. Over 200 different locations of interest are numbered and identified in the accompanying text, which also provides a street index, tourist information, and transportation details. Notable attractions include the ancient ruins at Teotihuacan, the Plaza del Toros, Chapultepec Forest, and the Zocalo.

To the west, the emerging colonia (neighborhood) of Polanco can be seen. Today, the area is popular for American expats and tourists, but in the early 1950s, it was an isolated enclave for wealthy residents, with numerous mansions dotting the tree-lined streets. According to Pamela Siegel;

“Goodspeed left the United States in 1930 to attend school in Mexico City, Mexico. Bille Hougart notes in The Little Book of Mexican Silver Trade and Hallmarks that her studies at the University of Mexico focused on Mexican culture and arts. As her reputation as an astute lecturer on local archaeology grew, she worked as a tour guide and operated a business that sold a variety of native handcrafts. Goodspeed met her husband, artist Carl Pappe, in 1935 while working as a guide leading tours of ancient archaeological sites in the Mexico City vicinity.

In 1938, the couple opened a business in the silver-rich town of Taxco, Mexico. He sold his paintings and prints there, she crafted silver jewelry for the shop, and they also offered original pre-Columbian artwork to their customers. Pappe illustrated several books and plays published by Goodspeed on topics relating to Mexican folklore, history, and art in the early 1940s. While continuing to produce sterling silver wares, she published tour maps of Mexico City later in the decade. Working as a silversmith through the end of her life, Goodspeed passed away in 1971.”

Source: Bernice Goodspeed Jewelry