Architecture of Mexico

Pre-Columbian Architecture in Mexico

The indigenous people of Mexico completed immense building projects without the help of wheels, horses, or oxen. Their most visible works today are the stone pyramid complexes that sat at the heart of political and religious life. There are hundreds if not thousands of these pyramids in Mexico, built by many different cultures. The oldest known Mesoamerican pyramid has stood in Tabasco for 3,000 years. The Mayans were especially active pyramid builders. Their most famous complexes are found at Chichen Itza, Tikal, and Umal. Today, many Mayan sites have been reclaimed by the jungle, but their pyramids remain popular tourist attractions.

The Aztecs, or Mexica, came to power in the 14th century, during a period of increasing urbanization. The Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, topped by two temples, sat at the heart of their capital. The city itself spread from an island in Lake Texcoco and was home to as many as 200,000 people. A network of canals connected its people to busy markets and religious centers. When the Spanish forces arrived, they were astonished by its size, order, and cleanliness. It held around three times as many people as Seville, the largest city of Spain at the time. What remains of Tenochtitlan is now part of Mexico City.[1][2]

Spanish Colonial Architecture in Mexico

As Spanish control over Central America tightened, missions, forts, and trading towns appeared along its coasts. The colonial presence moved steadily inland. The Spanish cemented their power through imposing cities and structures. They wanted to not only control the land, but to assimilate its people. Spanish architects brought Gothic, Islamic, and Renaissance traditions to the New World. Construction began with forts and churches, expanding into housing and trade buildings as populations grew. Initial efforts began in small villages, or pueblos. Over time, native populations collapsed due to disease and mistreatment. This encouraged the consolidation of power in urban centers.

Spanish colonial architecture did not arrive in the New World unchanged. In Mexico, indigenous artists and craftsmen revealed their own perspectives in their work. Instead of the round statues popular in Renaissance Europe, they sculpted church reliefs in native styles. This mixture of European symbolism with Mesoamerican art is known as tequitqui sculpture.[3][4] The central plazas and orderly grids of Aztec cities survived new Spanish construction. They soon spread to other colonies and to Spain itself.[5]

Churches and Cathedrals of Mexico

The first church services in Mexico were likely held in the house of Hernan Cortes. This cramped arrangement forced most new converts to attend services in the open air. In response, Cortes requested assistance from the Spanish crown. By 1524, 12 Franciscan friars had arrived with plans to build new chapels and monasteries. Their initial efforts were modest and focused on local villages. Open stucco churches, with the faithful gathering on patios or in yards, were the norm. Monasteries and convents opened schools and, in many cases, became the hubs of local communities.

In this way, much of the initial Spanish conquest was achieved through infrastructure instead of warfare. Soon, Dominican and Augustinian monks joined the Franciscans. As indigenous populations declined, power gradually concentrated with urban bishops. This led to the construction of increasingly elaborate cathedrals, most in the Baroque style.[6] Mexican artists like Diego Rivera revived the art of mural paintings during the 20th century. This form of art was used to both celebrate the church and criticize its place in colonial history.[7]

Modern Mexican Architecture

When Mexico claimed its independence from Spain in 1810, its artists and architects sought to forge a new national identity. This confluence of art, architecture, and politics reached its peak after the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. Some architects turned to pre-Columbian styles, while others pioneered modernist, socialist, and art deco movements. Today, the lasting influence of indigenous, Spanish, and French customs on modern Mexican culture is perhaps best seen in its cities. Ancient, colonial, and modern architecture can be found standing side by side in many urban centers. There, they serve as testaments to the long and complex history of the nation and its people.[8]

Bibliography

1. Joyce Kelly, An Archaeological Guide to Central and Southern Mexico (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001).

2. Alan Gallay, Colonial and Revolutionary America (Boston, MA: Prentice Hall, 2011).

3. Robert J. Mullen, Architecture and Its Sculpture in Viceregal Mexico (Austin, TX: Univ. of Texas Press, 2002), 1-11.

4. Joseph Armstrong Baird, The Churches of Mexico, 1530-1810 (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1962).

5. Setha M. Low, "Indigenous Architecture and the Spanish American Plaza in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean." American Anthropologist, New Series, 97, no. 4 (1995), 748-62.

6. Hubert Howe Bancroft, The History of Mexico (San Francisco, CA: History Co., 1886), 156-185.

7. Stephen R. Niblo, Mexico in the 1940s: Modernity, Politics, and Corruption (Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 2001), 38-40.

8. Luis E. Carranza, Architecture as Revolution: Episodes in the History of Modern Mexico (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2010), 1-13.

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Traditions of the Ancestors

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