Influences of Spanish Architecture in Mexico
Spanish expeditions conducted during the seventh and eighteenth century has brought a variety of architectural and artistic influences to the different indigenous regions of the New Americas. It is documented that “the Architecture of Mexico began with the Spanish conquest of the country.” (Mullen, 18) The architecture of Mexico has exhibited much richness and wealth, has displayed the political and religious conditions of the time, and has showed off the countries beauty and grace through different artistic devices, mainly through the ornamentation of buildings. The architecture that developed in Mexico during the military expeditions and colonization of Mexico has brought forth many different types of architecture to Mexico, three in particular, Franciscan, Mexican Baroque and Spanish Colonial Architecture. Historians have documented that the Franciscan, Mexican Baroque and Spanish Colonial Architecture found in Mexico is, “the transfer of architectural forms, ideas and traditions brought from Spain to the Americas by Spanish settlers” (Grizzard, 167). Historians believe that, “Spanish colonial architecture was a period of transition from the Spanish Gothic to Spanish Renaissance” (Mullen, 76)
When observing the architecture found in Mexico one has to wonder about how much influence the Spanish Colonialists had on this country. Much of the influence the Spanish Colonialists had on Mexican Architecture came from their conquests over the Native Indians of the Americas. Historically, Mexico has been a war-torn religiously, socially, economically, and political areas of the country. As the Spanish Conquerors dominated the Natives, their influence spread thoroughly throughout the Americas. The result was an aristocratic government where the natives were not given any chance of self-expression. Under these conditions, it was natural for the Architecture of the New Americas to have been brought from Spain.
As it has been found throughout the history of the Americas that, “the church [has] worked in conjunction with the military to dominate the Native Indians.” (Behav, 306). Many of the buildings built by the church and the military have become monumental features of Mexico. The architecture that first pioneered its way through Mexico was the Franciscan order. Most of the buildings bui...
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... order to the next has given Mexico much notable architecture that is highly praised. Mexican Architecture can be viewed as being one of the most remarkable types of architecture found throughout the world.
Work Cited
1. Grizzard, Mary. Spanish Colonial Art and Architecture of Mexico and the U.S Southwest. New York: University Press of America, 1986
2. Mullen, Robert. Architecture and Its Sculpture in Vicegal Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997.
3. Aceland, James H. “Building and Land” Canadian Architecture. (July 1996) 63-68
4. Brook, Jeff. “In Old Mexico.” House Beautiful. (October 2000) 70, 72, 76, 78, 113
5. Behav, Richard. Colonial Architecture in Mexico. New York University Press, 1984
6. Neumeyer, Alfred. “The Indian Contribution to Architectural decoration in Spanish Colonial America.” The Art Bulletin. (June 1948) 109-121
7. Kilham, Walter H. “Impressions of colonial Architecture in Mexico.” Architectural Forum. (February 1921) 39-44, 85-90
Monroy, Douglas. Thrown Among Strangers: The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California . 1990.
Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain." In Sources of Making of the West, by Katarine J. Lualdi, 269-273. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009.
The early years of colonial Mexico were a time of great change, as the native Indian populations were decimated by disease and increasingly dominated by the Spanish social and economic structure. Under the encomienda system, the initial flood of Spanish immigrants were provided with a support structure in New Spain, as the Indians’ land and labor were put at their disposal in exchange for moral guidance.[3] As Spain sought to reap the benefits of its new colony, the need for dependable labor in Mexico’s agr...
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The Salem Witch trials were when hundreds of citizens of Salem, Massachusetts were put on trial for devil-worship or witchcraft and more than 20 were executed in 1692. This is an example of mass religion paranoia. The whole ordeal began in the home of Reverend Samuel Parris. People soon began to notice strange behavior from Parris’s slave, Tituba, and his daughters. Many claimed to have seen Parris’s daughters doing back magic dances in the woods, and fall to the floor screaming hysterically. Not so long after, this strange behavior began to spread across Salem.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, what words are being told in the Codex Mensoza 1964, Lám (Brumfiel 1991: 224) and more importantly what influential role did the Spanish heritage have in the artifacts? These credentials were offered as form of resolute of Aztec women’s productive activities in Mexico. Nevertheless, Bromfiel paint a different picture of the Aztec women. In these sketches, Brumfiel draws our attention to the background in which the women are performing their “productive activities.” (Brumfiel 1991: 224) At first glance, these images are portraying Aztec women. However, after careful scrutiny of the photos, I noticed several an uncanny discoveries. In the first two portraits, both of the weaving instruments appear to be bound to Roman and/or Spanish columns (to my untrained eye). In the last two illustrations, I observed “productive activities” (Brumfiel 1991: 224) of cooking being performed, in what appears to be in a non-traditional work environment that does not correspond with the “productive activities” (Brumfiel 1991: 224) of the women in that era. One appears to be working in luxury room while the other seems to be overlooking the mountains from a balcony. Although these duties were performed in a residential setting, the pictures fail to emphasi...
Two of the biggest and greatest civilization in the Americas were the Aztecs and Incas. These two civilization were both said to be conquered by the Spanish, but it wasn’t just the Spanish who conquered them. These two civilizations both fell from a combination of a weak government, lack of technology, new disease introduced by the invaders, and not being prepared for the invaders. For many centuries the Aztec civilization revolved around a ideological, social, and political system in which expansion was the cornerstone. Expansion was the cornerstone of their whole civilization, because their religion requested that a large number of human sacrifices where to be made to the gods.
William H. Pierson, Jr., American Buildings and Their Architects: Technology and the Picturesque, (Doubleday & Company, Inc.), 167.
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