The Colonial Architecture of Mexico

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The Colonial Architecture of Mexico
James Early
In the urban architecture of colonial New Spain, James Early sees the spiritual and material aspirations of the people who commissioned, designed, built, and used it. He looks carefully at the grandeur of the religious edifices of New Spain, from the Gothic churches of the friars and the Renaissance cathedrals of the cities (with a detailed look at the Cathedral of San Ildefonso in Merida) to the Baroque sacred chapels (especially those in Puebla, Tepotzotlan, Mexico City, and Guadalupe) and Neo-Classical parish churches. Hundreds of churches and conventos were erected under the direction of the friars in the sixteenth century to minister to the indigenous population and numerous towns and cities laid out for the Indians and Spanish settlers. He describes the cultural milieu of Baroque religious architecture in Mexico and its characteristic manifestations: for example, convent life for nuns and the cults of the saints and... Tovább

Fülszöveg

1
' k
The Colonial Architecture of Mexico
James Early
In the urban architecture of colonial New Spain, James Early sees the spiritual and material aspirations of the people who commissioned, designed, built, and used it. He looks carefully at the grandeur of the religious edifices of New Spain, from the Gothic churches of the friars and the Renaissance cathedrals of the cities (with a detailed look at the Cathedral of San Ildefonso in Merida) to the Baroque sacred chapels (especially those in Puebla, Tepotzotlan, Mexico City, and Guadalupe) and Neo-Classical parish churches. Hundreds of churches and conventos were erected under the direction of the friars in the sixteenth century to minister to the indigenous population and numerous towns and cities laid out for the Indians and Spanish settlers. He describes the cultural milieu of Baroque religious architecture in Mexico and its characteristic manifestations: for example, convent life for nuns and the cults of the saints and the Virgin. In an account of the commercial prosperity of Mexico City, he discusses the great haciendas and the rise of some enormously rich families—the two houses of the Condes del Valle de Orizaba, for example, and three houses designed by Antonio Guerrero y Torres. He also looks at popular or folk architecture.
This book provides information on the history and many illustrations of architectural developments in a cultural context, along with specific discussion of notable and representative buildings—in a field where publications of this nature are few.
The Colonial Architecture of Mexico will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in the history, culture, and development of Mexico from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.
James Early is professor of English at Southern Methodist University.

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