Lecture 5. Memory and Heritage in the Built Environment

preview slides
created by:

Silvia Arroyo, Claudia Felipe Torres, Pilar Sanchez-Beltran


from the module:

Our North is the South: Teaching and Learning the History of Architecture from the South

This talk reflects on the architectural and urban legacies of Latin America’s colonial past, and the discourses that have legitimated what buildings merit preservation and which ones are destroyed. The talk argues one of the central dilemmas in the work of preservation in the region is the contradiction between historic and cultural wealth and economic poverty. Using the work of Ecuadorian scholar Fernando Carrión, the talk questions the imposition of a singular, unified model based on external parameters. Additional reflections on tourism include exhibitionist impulses (demonstrating something to an international audience) and scenographic image (elitist proposals that seek to eradicate street commerce and drive gentrification processes). Examples include La Habana, Cusco, Panama City, Bogotá, and others.

supporting documents:

Handout

Lecture Notes