New Spain through the Lens of Spatial Humanities: The Case of the Bishopric of Michoacán

This article provides an overview of the development of spatial humanities in Mexico, focusing specifically on the Bishopric of Michoacán. This ecclesiastical and jurisdictional unit, established during the Viceroyalty of New Spain, has recently been examined through the lens of spatial humanities. Our review identifies that this approach, when combined with traditional historical methods, can be highly effective in advancing research on territorial reconfiguration processes involving both Spanish and Indigenous actors. Furthermore, we present two examples of geographical text analysis (GTA) applied to the Relaciones Geográficas of Michoacán. Building on this review and the examples, we aim to encourage researchers interested in Mexico's past to enhance the potential of early historical sources by extracting valuable information intertwined with the spatial data contained in these documents.