Architecture and Urbanism in Viceregal Mexico Puebla de los Ángeles, Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries

Architecture and Urbanism in Viceregal Mexico presents a fascinating survey of urban history between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. It chronicles the creation and development of Puebla de los Ángeles, a city located in central-south Mexico, during its viceregal period. Founded in 1531, the city was established as a Spanish settlement surrounded by important Indigenous towns. This situation prompted a colonial city that developed along Spanish colonial guidelines but became influenced by the native communities that settled in it, creating one of the most architecturally rich cities in colonial Spanish America, from the Renaissance to the Baroque periods. This book covers the city's historical background, investigating its civic and religious institutions as represented in selected architectural landmarks. Throughout the narrative, Burke weaves together sociological, anthropological, and historical analysis to discuss the city’s architectural and urban development. Written for academics, students, and researchers interested in architectural history, Latin American studies, and the Spanish American viceregal period, it will make an important contribution to the field.

Introduction 1. The Creation of a Town: Puebla de los Ángeles as an Urban and Theological Experiment (c. 1530s–1580s) 2. The Grid and the Hill: Puebla’s Urban Form (c. 1530s–1610s) 3. Urban Palaces and Architectural Treatises: A New World Renaissance in Puebla (c. 1570s–1630s) 4. The Bishop and his Cathedral: Juan de Palafox’s Ideal Christian Republic (c. 1600s–1650s) 5. Decline and Splendor: Puebla de los Ángeles’ Baroque Era (c. 1660s–1770s) Bibliography Index

Juan Luis Burke is Assistant Professor of Architectural and Urban History at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research is centered on Mexican and Latin American architecture and urbanism, and its interactions with Europe, particularly Italy and Spain.