Arts & Architecture - Guatemala - page 582

Architecture
Modern Guatemalan architecture, apart from a few flashy bank and office buildings along
Av La Reforma in Guatemala City and the work of Efraín Recinos, is chiefly characterized
by expanses of drab concrete. Some humbler rural dwellings still use a traditional wall con-
struction known as bajareque , where a core of stones is held in place by poles of bamboo
or other wood, which is faced with stucco or mud. Village houses are increasingly roofed
with sheets of tin instead of tiles or thatch - less aesthetically pleasing but also less expens-
ive. For a discussion on traditional Maya architecture, Click here .
Colonial Architecture
During the colonial period (the early 16th to early 19th centuries) churches, convents, man-
sions and palaces were all built in the Spanish styles of the day, chiefly Renaissance,
baroque and neoclassical. But while the architectural concepts were European-inspired, the
labor used to realize them was strictly indigenous. Thus, Maya embellishments - such as
the lily blossoms and vegetable motifs that adorn Antigua's La Merced - can be found on
many colonial buildings, serving as testament to the countless laborers forced to make the
architectural dreams of Guatemala's newcomers a reality. Churches were built high and
strong to protect the elite from lower classes in revolt.
Guatemala does not have the great colonial architectural heritage of neighboring Mexico,
partly because earthquakes destroyed many of its finest buildings. But the architecture of
Antigua is particularly striking, as new styles and engineering techniques developed fol-
lowing each successive earthquake. Columns became lower and thicker to provide more
stability. Some Antigua buildings, including the Palacio de los Capitanes and Palacio del
Ayuntamiento on the central plaza, were given a double-arch construction to strengthen
them. With so many colonial buildings in different states of grandeur and decay, Antigua
was designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1979.
After the 1776 earthquake, which prompted the relocation of the capital from Antigua to
Guatemala City, the neoclassical architecture of the day came to emphasize durability. Dec-
orative flourishes were saved for the interiors of buildings, with elaborate altars and fur-
niture adorning churches and homes. By this time Guatemalan architects were hell-bent on
seeing their buildings stay upright, no matter how powerful the next earthquake. Even
though several serious quakes have hit Guatemala City since then, many colonial buildings