Walls and Gates: A Latin Perspective

Abstract

For almost five centuries walls and gates have formed a major part of Latin America's vernacular architecture. They serve to separate the public from the private, the home from the street, and the secular from the spiritual. Influenced by the Iberian principles of city planning and evolution of the patio house type, walls and gates respond to the historic and modern traditions of family, culture, and social class. As design elements, builders have adapted them through using new materials, technologies, and urban design approaches. In their many contemporary variations, they continue an urban tradition of strong and distinct street facades, with the threshold between the public and private space clearly defned. Through the use of walls and gates, Latin America demonstrates how culture expresses itself in the built environment.