This article describes the partial results of a research project on a downtown Mexico City intersection known as the glorieta de El Caballito (“the little horse roundabout”). The research draws on a corpus of photographs of the intersection taken between 1860 and 1970 from various angles, including aerial photographs. Within the broader goal of studying Mexico City through images, the project located more than 300 photographs and constructed them as a primary source, opening the doors to research on this location.



The study does not use images to illustrate existing conceptions and reflections on the history of this space, but rather observes, describes, studies, analyzes and interprets the space on the basis of these images; this is only possible once the images have been constructed as a primary source. The article presents a preliminary analysis of discursive spaces in the images as an expression of domains of power, which have, over time, remodeled and projected their visions on this urban space.