French commercial Department Stores in Guadalajara, Mexico (1850-1930)

Abstract

This article explains the way in which a group of French immigrants arrived to the city of Guadalajara during the second half of the xix century and the first three decades of the xx century and installed their commercial businesses, evolving from small clothing stores to modern warehouses organized by departments. These stores also changed the old colonial houses, where they initially settled in the downtown streets of the city, for beautiful and luxurious three or four story buildings. The general hypothesis adopted by this work is that these Gallic immigrants arrived to Guadalajara with little to no capital, and through credit lines and the social capital of their family and company networks, they started making their way in the regional market; while reinvesting their earnings, they increased their capital shares, expanded their companies and diversified their investments.