Aerial Photography from the ICA Foundation’s Historical Archive, 1930-1990
The ICA Foundation safeguards and preserves one of the most important collections of scientific photography. The archive images capture about 70% of the Mexican territory and some Central American countries, such as El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala. The images provide evidence of the adaptation of society to changing urban development and of the environmental morphology from the 1930s to the 1990s.
The archive contains photographs of urban areas, lakes, lagoons, dams, forest areas, river basins and coastlines, among others. Given its breadth in both time and territory, this collection constitutes a unique record that reflects the identity of a continent through its landscape, architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure. Additionally, it is a record of the development of aerial photography technology and the technical and scientific capabilities of this medium. The various series that compose the fonds: vertical, mosaics and oblique, show a wide panorama of this photographic technique, complementing each other and creating a rich landscape of Mexico and part of Central America.
Risks encountered
Environmental issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Moisture | Low |
Temperature | None |
Light (visible light, ultraviolet radiation, etc.) | None |
Dust | Low |
Pollution | Low |
Pests (rodents, animals, insects, etc.) | None |
Microorganisms (bacteria, mould, etc.) | None |
Management or organizational issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Lack of maintenance, including cleaning | Low |
Inadequate building | Low |
Building with structural damage | None |
Lack of an adequate warehouse | None |
Lack of boxes and/or archive materials | None |
Lack of human resources | Moderate |
Lack of security measures | None |
Insufficient budget to operate | Low |
Natural disaster risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Fires | None |
Rains | Low |
Mudslides or landslides | None |
Floods | None |
Hurricanes, cyclones, storms | None |
Earthquakes | Moderate |
Tsunamis | None |
Volcanic eruptions | None |
Temperature increase | Low |
Political and/or social risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Armed conflicts | None |
Illegal trafficking of documents | None |
Thefts or robberies | None |
Vandalism | None |
Threatening socio-cultural environment | None |
Lack of support/public policies | Low |
Environment (location) issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Material/storage units | None |
Furniture | None |
Room or warehouse | None |
Building | None |
Site or neighbourhood | None |
Area or region, beyond the neighbourhood | None |
Indicators
| Identified risks | |
|---|---|
Management Plan | Yes |
http://www.fundacion-ica.org.mx/areas_operativas | |
Response Protocol | No, in development |
Documentary heritage digitization | Yes, partially |
Documentary heritage availability on the internet | Yes, partially |