Modern Architecture in Latin America

"This is the most comprehensive theory and practice (and even built-environment policy) survey of twentieth-century Latin American architecture ever attempted. I believe it will be a very important contribution to the field... The book contains an erudite and discriminating collection of writings and projects." -- Rafael Longoria, ACSA Distinguished Professor of Architecture, University of Houston, and coeditor of AULA: Architecture and Urbanism in Las Americas "It is no small task to write a history of modern architecture of the vast region known as Latin America and the Caribbean... This project required collecting and organizing the information currently scattered in a series of books and journals, with some areas well represented (Mexico and Brazil in the lead) and others barely documented (Central America and Bolivia, for example). Not only is this book commendable, it is also timely, given the growing interest in the region on the part of scholars, professionals, and educators." -- Patricia Morgado, Associate Professor of Architecture, North Carolina State University

Designed as a survey and focused on key examples and movements arranged chronologically from 1903 to 2003, this is the first comprehensive history of modern architecture in Latin America in any language.

Designed as a survey and focused on key examples and movements arranged chronologically from 1903 to 2003, this is the first comprehensive history of modern architecture in Latin America in any language.

Runner-up, University Co-op Robert W. Hamilton Book Award, 2015

Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia is an introductory text on the issues, polemics, and works that represent the complex processes of political, economic, and cultural modernization in the twentieth century. The number and types of projects varied greatly from country to country, but, as a whole, the region produced a significant body of architecture that has never before been presented in a single volume in any language. Modern Architecture in Latin America is the first comprehensive history of this important production.

Designed as a survey and focused on key examples/paradigms arranged chronologically from 1903 to 2003, this volume covers a myriad of countries; historical, social, and political conditions; and projects/developments that range from small houses to urban plans to architectural movements. The book is structured so that it can be read in a variety of ways—as a historically developed narrative of modern architecture in Latin America, as a country-specific chronology, or as a treatment of traditions centered on issues of art, technology, or utopia. This structure allows readers to see the development of multiple and parallel branches/historical strands of architecture and, at times, their interconnections across countries. The authors provide a critical evaluation of the movements presented in relationship to their overall goals and architectural transformations.