Latin American Art and Architecture

I

Introduction

Latin American Art and Architecture, the art and architecture of Mexico, Central America, and South America, and those parts of the south-western United States that were Spanish colonies, produced after the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th century, and distinct from Pre-Columbian art and architecture. Despite the geographical diversity and enormous size of Latin America, its artistic history has been unified through a common tradition rooted in the arts of Spain and Portugal, the nations of the Iberian Peninsula. Depending on location and historical circumstance, this shared heritage was frequently enriched and made uniquely Latin American through Spanish and Portuguese interaction with indigenous Native American traditions, as well as with the cultures of West African blacks, who were brought to the Americas in slavery (see Blacks in the Americas).

II

Colonial Period

From the 16th to the 19th century, Latin America was part of the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. Art was sometimes imported from Iberia but was more commonly created by Iberian immigrants and indigenous artisans. Major architectural projects had to be approved by the central governments in Europe before they could be constructed in the Americas. Stylistically, therefore, colonial art and architecture closely paralleled artistic developments in Spain and Portugal. Distinctive variations in style, however, did result for several reasons. Differences in topography and climate often called for architectural solutions that were innovative adaptations rather than imitations. In the capitals of the colonial provinces, the art and architecture was decidedly Iberian; in the provinces, however, artistic expression reflected the mingling that took place between Native American or African culture and Iberian.

The Spanish word “mestizo” (“mixed”) refers to a person of a mixed native American and European parentage, as well as to art and architecture that reflects both Native American and European cultural traditions. Similarly, the term “mulatto” refers both to someone of mixed white and black parentage and the combined African and European artistic traditions. Mestizo and mulatto art have both contributed significantly to the culturally distinctive qualities of Latin American art.

A

16th Century

The 16th century in Latin America was characterized by the destruction of the old and the creation of the new. Some of the Native Americans’ cities and ceremonial centres were demolished or engulfed as towns and cities expanded in the colonial period. Churches and residences for Europeans were often constructed from materials removed from Native American temples and palaces, as occurred at Mitla, Mexico, and at Cuzco, Peru. Pre-Columbian religious imagery was almost totally destroyed by zealous Christians and replaced with Roman Catholic liturgical objects and images. Some of this new religious art was created by recently converted Native American artisans, who quickly assimilated Iberian form, content, and technology.

Latin America expanded so rapidly in the 16th century that Iberian architects, artists, and artisans could not satisfy demand for buildings and artefacts. Native American artisans were either trained by the Spaniards or, through observation, interpreted European examples in a distinctly mestizo style.

Because Renaissance styles of art and architecture had not been firmly established in Spain and Portugal by the beginning of the 16th century, the first European art style to be introduced to the New World was the Isabelline, or the Spanish late Gothic style, named after Isabella I (see Spanish Art and Architecture). By the mid-16th century many examples of Plateresque style in architecture and decorative arts could be found, which stylistically reflected Iberian blending of late Gothic and Italian Renaissance ornamentation. Not until the late 16th and early 17th centuries did the equivalent of classical Renaissance art and architecture appear. Called Herreran, this style is exemplified in the cathedrals of Mexico City and Puebla, in Mexico. Both of these buildings were designed by Spaniards influenced by Juan Bautista de Herrera, the Spanish architect associated with the design of El Escorial, the monastery-palace built for Philip II. Throughout 16th-century Latin America, the Mudéjar style was also employed. Its aesthetic and decorative motifs were derived from the Muslims (Moors) living under Christian rule in the Iberian Peninsula. The taste for Mudéjar style persisted in Latin America until the 20th century; examples include the mosque plan of the 16th-century Capilla Real in Cholula, Mexico; the wooden Moorish ceilings in churches at Tlaxcala, Mexico, and Andahuaylillas, Peru; the 18th-century closed wooden balconies of the Torre Tagle Palace in Lima; and mansions with Mudéjar decorative motifs built by wealthy 19th-century Mexicans in Mérida.

Many Pre-Columbian administrative and religious centres—such as Cuzco of the Incas and Tenochtitlán (Mexico City) of the Aztecs—retained their prominence in the colonial period. In addition, numerous new cities—such as Lima, in Peru, or Oaxaca, in Mexico—were constructed. Urban planning reflected an interest in order and spatial clarity. The Renaissance grid design, adopted from that developed from the Romans, was almost universally used. It was organized around a central plaza, on which were situated the main church, the principal government building, and the residences of those in power. Along the coasts, many fortresses were built to protect major ports from attacks by pirates and foreign adventurers, and thus safeguard consignments of gold awaiting shipment to Europe. Among major forts that have survived are those in St Augustine, Florida; Havana, Cuba; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Vera Cruz, Mexico; and Cartagena, Colombia.

B

17th Century

By the 17th century, increasing numbers of Iberian artists and architects were arriving in the colonies. Several generations of Native Americans had been apprenticed to Iberian artisans and trained to adhere faithfully to European styles, techniques, and subject matter. (Mestizo expressions were primarily relegated to crafts.)

The Baroque style was introduced early in the century. Painting and sculpture became dramatically realistic, with an emphasis on conveying emotion. Baroque ornamental exuberance and dynamism in architecture found expression in the extensive use of a type of richly carved, spiral twisted column called a salomonica, developed from ancient Roman prototypes.