Home, neighborhood, city and co-spatiality: sense of place of Spanish and Italian immigrants in Mexico

Abstract

This article analyses the lived space and the sense of place of a group of skilled immigrants from southern Europe in Mexico. The hypothesis is that the spatial dimension of “becoming local” is relevant in the migrants’ process of settlement and remaining at the country of destination. 129 semi-structured interviews were conducted to Spaniards and Italians living in four Mexican cities (Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Puebla); they were also asked to draw a mental map. Several aspects were identified from four multiscalar patterns: home, neighborhood (the colonia), city and co-spatiality with the place of origin.

Keywords: skilled migration, city, lived space, sense of place, Mexico.