Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
24
The visitor interested in art should
exercise some caution, however; there's a
lot of schlock out there targeting tourists.
But if you persist, you're likely to find
many inspiring works as well. The muse-
ums and many of the galleries are excellent
repositories of local art. Their offerings
range from small-town folk art to works
by major artists who show internationally.
A RICH ARCHITECTURAL MELTING
POT Nowhere else in the United States
are you likely to see such extremes of
architectural style as in the Southwest. The
region's distinctive architecture reflects the
diversity of cultures that have left their
imprint on the region.
The first people to build in the area
were the Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloans),
who made stone and mud homes at the
bottoms of canyons and inside caves.
Pueblo-style adobe architecture evolved
and became the basis for traditional
homes: sun-dried clay bricks mixed with
grass for strength, mud-mortared, and
covered with additional protective layers
of mud. Roofs are supported by a network
of vigas—long beams with ends that pro-
trude through the outer facades—and
latillas, smaller stripped branches layered
between the vigas. Other adapted Pueblo
architectural elements include plastered
adobe-brick kiva fireplaces, bancos (adobe
benches that protrude from walls), and
nichos (small indentations within a wall
that hold religious icons). These adobe
homes are characterized by flat roofs and
soft, rounded contours.
Spaniards wedded many elements to
Pueblo style, such as portals (porches held
up with posts, often running the length of
a home) and enclosed patios, as well as the
simple, dramatic sculptural shapes of
Spanish mission arches and bell towers.
They also brought elements from the
Moorish architecture found in southern
Spain: heavy wooden doors and elaborate
corbels—carved wooden supports for the
vertical posts.
The next wave of building came with
the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821
and the 1860s gold boom, both of which
brought more Anglo settlers. New arrivals
contributed architectural elements such as
neo-Grecian and Victorian influences
popular in the middle part of the United
States at the time. Distinguishing features
of what came to be known as Territorial-
style architecture can be seen today; they
include brick facades and cornices as well
as porches, often placed on the second
story. You'll also note millwork on doors
and wood trim around windows and door-
ways, double-hung windows, and Victo-
rian bric-a-brac.
Santa Fe Plaza is an excellent example
of the convergence of these early architec-
tural styles. On the west side is a Territo-
rial-style balcony, while Pueblo-style vigas
and oversize Spanish/Moorish doors mark
the Palace of Governors. Outside Tucson,
one of the most noted examples of Mis-
sion-style architecture still stands at Mis-
sion San Xavier del Bac.
In the mid-20th century, architect
Frank Lloyd Wright designed several
buildings in the Phoenix area, ushering in
innovative building concepts. In the desert
north of Phoenix, one of his students,
Paolo Soleri, built an environmentally
sensitive, ideal city called Arcosanti, which
is open to the public.
2
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search