Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Hispanic Studies

Supervisor

Robin, Alena

2nd Supervisor

Suárez, Juan Luis

Co-Supervisor

Abstract

This thesis proposes the construction of a relational database to study colonial Mexican painting, focusing on the networks of painters active between 1680 and 1730. While traditional art historical research has primarily relied on narrative and biographical approaches, this study applies digital methodologies to structure, analyze, and visualize historical data in new ways.

To build this database, I processed 15 different datasets, integrating information on nearly 3,000 individuals, 780 artifacts, and numerous historical details such as life events, locations, occupations, and relationships. These datasets were derived from archival sources, academic monographs, and structured institutional records, requiring extensive digitization, OCR processing, text cleaning, and data normalization. Tools such as Recogito, OpenRefine, and Gephi were employed to extract, structure, and visualize relationships within the datasets. Over the course of this research, methodological decisions evolved, particularly regarding the selection of sources and the refinement of the processes needed to convert unstructured text into structured data, digitization, and reconciliation techniques.

This study highlights both the possibilities and challenges of database-driven historical research. It demonstrates how structured data can reveal previously overlooked artistic networks, providing new insights into regional artistic production and workshop structures outside of Mexico City. However, it also reflects on the limitations of historical data, the role of archival biases in dataset construction, and the interpretative nature of database design in historical inquiry.

Ultimately, this thesis contributes to digital art history and colonial Hispanic American studies by demonstrating how database methodologies can enhance our understanding of artistic production in the early modern world. It also underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches and a new set of research skills that help bridge historical research, digital humanities, and data-driven analysis to produce more nuanced interpretations of the past.

Summary for Lay Audience

When we think of art history, we often imagine scholars studying paintings in museums or reading books about famous artists. But what if we could use digital tools to uncover hidden connections between painters, workshops, and artistic production? This thesis explores how building a database can help us map relationships between artists in colonial Mexico, revealing networks that might otherwise remain invisible.

To do this, I created a digital database that brings together information from archival documents, historical books, and scholarly articles. Over several years, I processed thousands of records to document who these painters were, where they worked, who they collaborated with, and how they were connected. This process involved using digital tools to transform printed sources into text files, clean and organize text, and visualize connections in ways that a traditional book or article cannot.

One of the biggest challenges was organizing data for it to be processed by a computer. Historical records are often incomplete, inconsistent, or biased toward certain figures, so there is deep conceptual work needed to transform all the information into data. I started adding people to the database, as well as paintings and other artworks because I wanted to understand how these all connected to each other. Along with people and objects, I also recorded their “events” such as marriages, apprenticeships, or the creation or transportation of a painting. These connections, along with their context, would led me to understand artistic communities and their dynamics more deeply and in a different way than traditional art history.

By the end of the project, the database contained nearly 3,000 people and hundreds of artistic artifacts, offering a new way to analyze colonial Mexican painting. More than just a research tool, this database provides a different perspective on art history, one that looks beyond individual artists to the broader social and professional networks that shaped artistic production in Mexico during the late 1600 and early 1700.

This project shows how digital methods can enrich historical research, offering new ways to explore and interpret the past. While databases don’t replace traditional art history, they open new doors for discovering connections, patterns, and influences that might otherwise be overlooked.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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