Any careful, or even careless, glance through the streets of any heavy urban area in the major cities of the U.S. can reveal a wide range of architectural styles. Although most cities won’t begin to compare to the history and varied traditions in old cities in Europe, there are some changes to the architectural landscape that are arising from time and perseverance. The styles of the cultures that inhabit the spaces are becoming more ingrained with the new designs, as are innovations that quote older traditions and styles.
Traveling through the cities of the Americas, one will surely notice that the trend is not a new one, and that there are places where many cultures meet, and have been meeting for a long time. It is enough to make a curious architecture student want to learn Spanish. Even though there are plenty of Latin influences in the large cities where the states border Mexico, as well as in any city with a large Latin population, the mix between the so-called old world and new worlds are much more visible in Latin America. The place where four cultures come together in Mexico City
is not only an aesthetically dizzying space, it also brings into focus just how long these uneasy conversations have been going on.
Although the ideas of cultural exchange and transculturation may be new to the academy, they are a part of everyday life in many places, and there are visual reminders of this on every corner. The largest urban centers in the dozens of nations that make up the Americas are all visual maps that show various layers of Indigenous, Latin, and European influence. All of these layers tend to walk over and paint on each other, and occasionally there are moments of breakthrough, when living roots are revealed, and a local history is told for the first time. The new migrations add more levels of complexity, and traveling the Americas and looking at the architecture alone will take lifetimes.
One can certainly spend time exploring on their own, or make it formal and enroll in art and architecture programs. Taking time to stop and notice the way this plays out in one’s own city is a very auspicious beginning however. Looking at the everyday with a new lens can open up unimaginable doors, and lead to some startling observations. It’s also never a bad idea to learn another language. Being skilled at Spanish translation can be helpful in many fields, and it’s also often helpful to fellow travelers, trying to make sense of things. As beginning architects, most students are themselves fellow travelers, marking the signs of culture and territory, and the great trajectories that lead from a here to a there.
