Culture and Architecture in America: Housing Projects in Pan-American Union Countries

Written by Giovana Martino | Translated by Diogo Simões
Published on May 03, 2022

The end of the 19th century in the Americas is marked by a wave of historical disputes and political transformations that have as a backdrop the search for a national identity. The period records a series of conflicts and disputes for the independence of what we now know as sovereign countries and republics. In this context, the Pan-American or Spanish-American movements emerged, which, despite having different political influences, aimed at the unification of all the territories of the American continent.

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Among these movements comes the idea of a commercial alliance between the countries of the so-called “new world”, based on the development of the capitalist system and the possibility of expanding the consumer market. Headed mainly by the United States, which aimed to expand its consumer market, a series of congresses were organized between the countries of America throughout the 20th century, seeking to strengthen trade ties. The first congress took place between 1889 to 1890 in Washington, USA. From these congresses, the Pan-American Union was created, formed by 21 countries whose objective was to share commercial information with each other.

Culture and Architecture in America: Housing Projects in Pan-American Union Countries - Image 6 of 15 — Edificio Fray León / Jorge Figueroa + Asociados. Image © Pablo Blanco

Throughout the 20th century, US imperialism, as well as political conflicts related to the Cold War, undermined these agreements with embargoes and economic blockades. Thus, while there is anti-imperialist resistance and a search for identity and ancestry in customs and techniques, there was also a cultural exchange between these countries that can be seen in several areas, including architecture.

At the time, 21 countries signed the Pan American Union treaty: United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Haiti. , Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic. To celebrate the treaty signed in April, we selected housing projects from some of these countries to demonstrate their similarities and differences.