Politics in Architecture

From WolfWikis

Latin American Architecture and Politics

Introduction to Latin American Architecture

From Pre-Columbian times, Latin America has had a distinct style of architecture. The styles of the Pre-Columbian era, often associated with Mayan and Aztec structures, changed over time as a result of the migration of Europeans into Latin America. This transformation is seen through the introduction of a Traditionalist style of architecture in the 19th century and in the introduction of a Modernist style of architecture in the 20th century. These styles of architecture related specifically to government and politics in the area of city/urban planning in major capitals and in the area of sparking a nationalistic sensation among Latin American countries.

The transition from Pre-Columbian architecture to Traditional European architecture to Modern architecture

Architecture by Time Period

19th Century: Traditionalism

20th Century: Modernism

Conclusion

Clearly, architecture in Latin America has transformed from a means of religious expression in the pre-Columbian era, to a European-dependent style in the 19th century, to a modern expression in the 20th century. The changes in stlyes are easy to see, however the changes in the feelings of Latin Americans are just as easy to see. The Latin American people and governments made a transition from a culture dependent on Europe to a culture that could create its own nationalistic expression by means of art, and in particular, architecture.

Annotated Bibliography

• Bullrich, Francisco. New Directions in Latin American Architecture. New York, NY: George Braziller, 1969. This book, found in the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library, helped me comprehend the beginnings of modern architecture in Latin America. It refrences both the Ministry of Education and Health and Brasilia. Overall, this source was extremely helpful in constructing the 20th Century section of this project.

• Damaz, Paul. Art in Latin American Architecture. New York, NY: Ginhold Publishing, 1963. Damaz's book provided me with some of the quotes I used in this project about Brasilia. In addition to that, Damaz successfully analyzes the relationship between the modern architecture movement in Latin America and the influence it had on the government at the time.

• Gutierrez, Ramon. The Urban Architectural Heritage of Latin America.14 Mar. 2001. International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). 18 Sep. 2007 <http://www.icomos.org/studies/latin-towns.htm>. This website, although the text was long, provided me with a basic foothold in understanding the roots of Latin American architecture. The last portion of this article gave me the examples I used in the both the 19th and 20th Century Case Studies.

• King, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Modern Latin American Culture. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Although this source was not extensively used in this project, this book did contribute a great deal to the basic understanding of modernist roots in Mexico and Brazil. This book was also helpful to other members of my group, however the most helpful section, for me, was the 20th Century Architecture section, beginning on page 222.

• Stevens, Andrew."Conceived by an Italian saint, Brasilia." City Mayors Development.4 Feb. 2006. City Mayors. 27 Sep. 2007 <http://www.citymayors.com/development/brasilia.html>. This article on the Internet provided me with the basic logistics in the construction of Brasilia. For example, an explanation of the constitutional reasoning for relocating the capital, and the actual geographic location of the capital along with motives.

• "Historia." Cuidad de La Plata.1 Portal La Plata. 22 Sep. 2007 <http://www.laplata.gov.ar/caza.htm?Ciudad/historia/historia.htm~central>. With basic Spanish translating skills, I was able to decipher most of this article on the History of La Plata, posted by the local La Plata government. This article provided the specifics of the planning of La Plata, such as the names of planners and the layout of the city. Even though it was in Spanish, this source was extremely helpful in this project.

• <http://www.images.google.com> Google images provided me with all of the images used in this presentation. Specific citations of each photo are available upon request.

For any questions or comments associated with this project, e-mail me at mdpinyan@ncsu.edu