The reconstruction of Colonial monuments in the 1920s and 1930s in Mexico

• Arroyo, Elsa ^[1] ; Zetina, Sandra ^[1] ; Magar, Valerie
  1. [1] Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
• Localización: Conversaciones, ISSN-e 2395-9479, Nº. 9, 2020 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Conversaciones... con Nicholas Stanley-Price), págs. 141-162
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article presents an overview of the criteria and policies for the reconstruction of historical monuments from the viceregal period in Mexico, through the review of paradigmatic cases which contributed to the establishment of practices and guidelines developed since the 1920s, and that were extended at least until the middle of the last century. It addresses the conformation of the legal framework that gave rise to the guidelines for the protection and safeguard of built heritage, as well as the context of reassessment of the historical legacy through systematic studies of representative examples of Baroque art and its ornamental components, considered in a first moment as emblematic of Mexico’s cultural identity. Based on case studies, issues related to the level of reconstruction of buildings are discussed, as well as the ideas at that time on the historical value of monuments and their function; and finally, it presents the results of the interventions in terms of their ability to maintain monuments as effective devices for the evocation of the past through the preservation of its material remains.