With snow capped-mountains soaring above green rolling hills and spiraling blocks of architecture, Bolivia is a country of striking beauty and remarkable history. Boasting both a vibrant culture and an impressive architectural landscape, Bolivia is a glowing reflection of its rich indigenous heritage and European influences. From the grand colonial structures of La Paz to the modern skyscrapers of Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s architecture offers unique insights into its social and political landscape. However, Bolivia faces several challenges in terms of architecture and urban development. Designers can shape Bolivia’s future by designing energy-efficient buildings, creating sustainable urban development plans, and promoting the use of vernacular materials.
The Landscape, History & Architectural Influence
Officially founded in 1825, Bolivia is the 28th-largest country in South America. Its capital city of La Paz sits a towering “10650 – 13,250 feet (3,250 and 4,100 meters)” above sea level (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). The diverse geography of Bolivia vacillates from the Amazon rainforest, the Atacama Desert, to the Andes Mountains. This variety plays an integral role in shaping Bolivia’s built environment and ancestral history.
As far back as 400 BCE, Bolivia was a powerful nation of artisans. With a population of more than 40,000, Tiwanaku (a.k.a Tiahuanaco) sat proudly in the political center of modern-day Bolivia and Southern Peru. Tiahuanaco was rich in copper, obsidian, silver, and handcrafted goods (Lambert, 2021). The Tiwanaku empire ruled for 600 years before being split into smaller nations in 1,000 CE.
At the far tip of northern Bolivia, rested the Incan empire, where the first indigenous population of the Andes likely originated (Don Quijote, n.d.). By the 15th century, modern Bolivia was controlled by the Incan Empire before falling to the conquest of the Spaniards. Political unrest crew, while the Spanish exploited all of Bolivia’s resources with special attention to silver. Finally, in 1825, after 16 years of struggle, Bolivia gained its independence through a rebellion led by Simón Bolívar.
Even through its European assimilation, the bones of Bolivian indigenous architecture are strong and ever-present. While the Franciscan monasteries square the city center, ancient forts sculpt the foothills in the distance.
European occupation brought Catholicism and the associated architectural style, principles, and philosophy. In addition to San Franciscan architecture, the Spanish mission style with curvilinear gables and a stucco finish washed in white came to dress Bolivia’s capital city’s center. Iglesia de San Francisco, the Entrance of Calle Jaén, and La Recoleta are brilliant examples of occupier architectural influence.
Tradition and fruits of Catholic conquest marry to bare structures like the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos. The group of six structures combine to “represent the living heritage of the reductions: ideal, theocratic settlements.” The missions depict catholic ideology guided by the hand of indigenous embellishment. The former simplicity of mission-style columns and facades spin, lattice, and climb with a flair that feels more vernacular and native. Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos is a significant display of architectural history and is globally recognized as such. The Jesuit Missions are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites alongside the historic cities of Sucre, Potosí, and Tiwanaku.
Today, the Bolivian architectural landscape is beginning to reflect modernism and technology in a “Guns, Germs & Steam” fashion that reaches out to its indigenous architectural past.
Each structure tells a unique story of the past and present—stories that architects and designers will need to shape into energy-efficient, sustainable, and vernacular urban developments.
Modern Bolivian Architecture & Socio-Political Economy
Bolivia’s architecture reflects its long and tumultuous history. Colonial influences have all left their mark and now a new generation is painting a new picture.
In El Alto artisan now engineer and creator, Freddy Mamani is making waves with a breathtaking, style of architecture dubbed the New Andean.
The quirky style of architecture is rooted in ancient Tiwanaku cultural history while fully embracing futurism and modern technology. Mamani’s structures use color in a manner that rebels against the lifeless monochromes of the surrounding city. This act of rebellion against conformity is exactly the radicalism Bolivian architects will need to embrace to address the growing social- political and economic concerns of Bolivia’s growing population.
Bolivia has a population of over 11 million that is growing had an alarming rate in comparison to the infrastructure. In Bolivia, there is one birth every two minutes with a death every five minutes (World Population Review, n.d.). In addition to this, Bolivia’s hydrocarbon-reliant economy. Coupled with the green tech push, is driving, political friction and unrest. The Bolivian government has been working to improve the country’s infrastructure and attract foreign investment which has the consequence of driving housing costs in a country where the average citizen makes around 705 USD a month.
The question then lies; how can architecture take notes from its indigenous history, meet the growing demand, integrate with infrastructure, and lean into sustainable principles all while remaining cost-effective?
The Challenges
Bolivia has a very young population that is growing rapidly with many still living in rural areas. This means there is an urgent need for modern infrastructure and housing to span the last mile into rural communities. Additionally, Bolivia is a developing country with a large percentage of its citizens living in poverty. This can make it difficult to find funding to conceptualize architecture and planning endeavors, let alone see the project to implementation.
Another challenge Bolivia faces is its history of political instability, which can make it difficult to plan and implement long-term projects. Political upheaval often results in budget cuts or project delays due to a lack of resources or personnel changes at the government level. This makes it difficult for architects and urban planners to carry out their work effectively without disruptions.
Finally, Bolivia’s geographical location also poses challenges in terms of architecture and urban development. The country’s terrain is largely mountainous, meaning many areas are inaccessible or unsuitable for construction purposes. Not only this but Bolivia’s vast climate and altitude changes makes centralizing construction challenging. Additionally, Bolivia experiences frequent natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes which can disrupt construction projects and damage existing structures.
Solution Oriented Architecture?
From La Paz to Santa Cruz, Bolivian architecture is stacked, compressed, and under a plethora of constraints. To circle back to the question posed earlier, how do architects respond to this environment? A possible solution is to encourage private-public partnerships for infrastructure projects. By bringing together government entities, businesses, and civil society organizations, these partnerships can create mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders involved. This will allow for an influx of investments in infrastructure projects that would otherwise be unavailable due to a lack of funds. Additionally, this approach could help ensure greater transparency and accountability when it comes to the use of public funds for urban development projects.
Another potential solution is to develop a national urban development policy that takes into account the needs of all cities in Bolivia. This policy should include guidelines on how cities should be designed and developed to promote sustainable growth while taking into account local resources and environmental concerns. This policy should also provide incentives for private investments in urban planning projects as well as promote public participation in decision-making processes related to city planning and development.
Finally, it is important to promote sustainable urban development practices that prioritize energy efficiency and make use of local materials wherever possible. This will not only reduce energy costs but also contribute to reducing pollution levels caused by hydrocarbon dependency. It will also create job opportunities for locals who are equipped with the necessary skillsets required for such projects. Architects can play an important role here by designing buildings that make use of ancestral building techniques, such as adobe, and lime plaster, while utilizing technology to make indigenous architectural techniques viable in Bolivia’s range of climates.
Architecture is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between social, political, environmental, and economic constraints. Like most colonized nations, Bolivia has a tumultuous, yet rich history that is manifesting itself in the current socio-political economy. Designers like Freddy Mamani are reconnecting with indigenous roots and creating new cultural architectural identities. It is this type of radicality paired with practical design solutions that will fuel Bolivia’s architectural future.
Reference list
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