Wider Horizons of American Landscape

Abstract

This article situates contemporary landscape architecture in the United States and Canada as part of a long, rich tradition of landscape- making found throughout the Americas. This perspective calls for a wider scope and conceptual framework for renewed, vigorous, and sustained engagement with indigenous and Latin American landscapes. In this article, I pursue this by blending hemispheric studies with landscape architecture to study historical and contemporary sites, projects, practices, and theories of Latin American landscape within a broader hemispheric context. The piece begins by introducing the field of hemispheric studies and assembling methods suited to the undertaking. The second section addresses the question of origins and shows that pluralism and syncretism are critical to understanding American landscapes. I then draw from existing literature and my own fieldwork to survey contemporary conditions and develop four concepts for the study of American landscapes, before finishing with conclusions intended to serve as guideposts for future work.