European Influence on the Architecture of the Americas

Early 16^th century

Europeans begin to explore the New World, which is today referred to as the Age of Discovery (Briney, para. 1). The exploration involves intensive cultural exchange, particularly influencing many aspects of culture, for example, the adoption of European architectural styles by the population of the Americas.

1500 – mid 16^th century

Two influential countries, such as Spain and Portugal, control the vast majority of the New World (Brillembourg, para. 5). In the area of architecture, inevitably, Spanish baroque naturally prevails, which includes beautiful but frequently extravagant ornamentation such as numerous columns and “highly detailed carvings” (Mueller, para. 3). A bright example is the Guadalajara Cathedral in Mexico.

1532

Establishing Pueblo (Mexico), the first city that followed the new urban standard, the so-called orthogonal grid system became normal in both Americas (Brillembourg, para. 11). As many of the major Latin American communities were founded before the end of the 16^th century, they have the grid shape that the given system presupposes.

Late 16^th century – early 17^th century

Spanish colonial architecture adopts Italian, German, and Flemish motifs using their transmission from Europe (para. 16). Therefore, many buildings of the given period, including the Guadalajara mentioned above Cathedral, have a more or less apparent “touch of Gothic” (Mueller, para. 5). Another trend, which was caused by influence from the other side of the world, of that time, is neoclassicism with simple and geometrically harmonious designs, a bright and performative example of which is Hospicio Cabanas also located in Guadalajara (Mueller, para. 6).

The second half of the 17^th century

European countries other than Spain and Portugal, notably Britain, France, and the Netherlands, gained more power in North America and continued expansion. Their cultural influence may have inspired the so-called Gothic Revival that took place in the United States approximately 150 years later (“Gothic Revival Style,” para. 1).

Works Cited

Brillembourg, Carlos F. Latin American Architecture. Britannica, n.d., Web.

Briney, Amanda. A Brief History of the Age of Exploration. ThoughtCo, 2020, Web.

“Gothic Revival Style 1830 – 1860.” Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, n.d., Web.

Mueller, Jason. Spanish Colonial and Modern American Architecture. CultureTrav, 2017, Web.