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INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO Y DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES DE MONTERREYCAMPUS ESTADO DE MXICO

Marcelo Uriel Reyes MoraA01169612

Ariadna Valdez RodrguezA01169900

Rebeca Valdez RodrguezA01169899

Introduccin a las Ciencias SocialesJosu Baruj Gordon Guerrero

September 9th, 2013.

The modification of the architectonic style of Mexico Citys colony Condesa as

an example of a change in the will of truth: from the Neocolonial style to Art Dco.

IntroductionMexico City is a place of contrasts, changes and diversity, ruptures and multiplicity. Ina country that is always in process, these changes cannot be omitted. We are forced tosee in an environment full of variation. Variation not always required, nor accepted,variation always necessary and confessed. Hence, the present essay attempts to analyseand exemplify the urban changes between the end of the XIX century and the 1920s in

Mexico City. The architectonic changes suffered in the colony La Condesa betweenthe end of the XIX century and the 1920s are a clear example of how a will of truth

changes through time and responds to a determined milieu.

Condesa

Towards the first half of the XVII Century, the Hacienda de Santa Catarina del Arenal "was recognized by the name La Condesa. Since that time belonged to the third

countess of Miravalle: Mara Magdalena Dvalos de Bracamontes y Orozco. JuanHernandez Mellado established this place when he acquired it in 1610. Then, in 1646,Hernandez's widow sold it to Mellado Airolo Calar Teresa who kept it until 1704.During this year, Jos Mateo Guerrero Dvil bought the estate. Mara MagdalenaDvalos de Bracamontes y Orozco, the first owner, was a very important and rich

person of the viceroyalty, for that reason the place was named "La Condesa".The breaking-up, also known as colonies, emerged during the XIX century asconsequence of the demographic development. Many jews arrived to Mexico searchingrefugee, so there was a lot of demand of urban areas and residential centers. At thismoment, most of the citizens were living at Mexico's capital in poor conditions: without

potable water, drainage and without paved streets; these elements constituted an


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unsanitary city. The colony Condesa was inaugurated in 1902, not only asconsequence of the demand of housing, but also as the impulse of modernization.With the sale of 303 lots, the splitting of the colony "Condesa" began. From the landheld by the family, one part was sold to the Mutual and savings Bank, and then sold to

Colony Countess Company S.A. This company was managed by the representatives ofthe highest political and social circles of the Porfiriato, because if this aspect, thePorfiriano style was imposed in the first houses that were bu ilt.

Neocolonial architectonic styleIs essential to emphasize the presence in the 1920s of a revolutionary nationalist speech

and a strong antiporfiriano feeling. These facts explain the emergence of a nationalist

culture, which had a trigger point with the Secretary of Public Education JosVasconcelos, who impulsed painters and sculptors, in the field of architecture

confronteing europeans expressions of the Porfiriato with the Neocolonial Style. TheNeocolonial style emerged in the last years of the XIX century. Principally theNeocolonial style emerged as a synonymous of national identity and strength. This stylewas based on the colonial architectural art because it recognized itself in with theviceroyalty, which was established as the predecessor of Mexico and was thenationalistic aspect, which should manifest itself in new constructions, leave thePorfirian style away and look for a new aesthetic to reaffirm and spread the Mexican

ideal.

A new conceptIn this strong necessity of building a Mexican identity (far from the French and neo-indigenous vision conceived during the Porfiriato), the government and artists

implemented a new aesthetic language that really reflected the made-in-Mexico idea.

Due to the Mexican Revolution, the urban development stopped as many buildings wereleft unfinished. Furthermore, the new political order had to figure out how to reach

pacification and unity, leading to a search of new languages and institutions.

During the government of Venustiano Carranza and lvaro Obregn the neocolonial

style was meant to do the job of configuring the nationalistic feeling and reconstructinga new society interested in its country, History and integration. Nevertheless,Neocolonial Style decayed because of its historicist character. Little by little it becameincompatible with the aspirations of modernity that filled the milieu. (Ruvalcaba)

This feeling of achieving modernity forced government, architects, artists and civiliansto look for a more suitable way to fulfil their desires and build a new urban concept.Therefore, since 1925, Art Dco (chosen for the already mentioned objectives) had beenunderstood in Mexico as an aesthetic equivalent of restarting. Simple, geometric and

easy to understand it was successfully adopted by the Mexican middle class as symbolof modernity and progress.


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Art DcoThe term Art Dco refers to a style that spanned the boom of the roaring 1920s and the

bust of the Depression-ridden 1930s. (Victoria and Albert Museum 1)Greatly influenced by the economic grow and innovation after the World War I, it hasits origins in the International Exposition of Modern Decorative Arts and Industry inParis, in which the tendencies in design inspired in the russian constructivism, futurismand the School of Bauhaus were exposed. The Exposition marked the high-point of thefirst phase of Art Dco. (Victoria and Albert Museum 1)

Art Dec has as main characteristics the use of geometric forms (triangles, circles, zig-zag patterns) in the buildings inside and outside. It affected all forms of design, fromthe fine and Decorative arts to fashion, film, photography, transport and product design.Art Dec emphasizes the symmetric compositions and in some cases, the aerodynamiclines. (Museo del Objeto del Objeto 7)Adopting a new styleThe Art Dco was inserted in Mexico by a magazine named Cemento. The objectiveof this magazine was to explain the characteristics and qualities of the cement.Consequently, it allows the enter of the reinforced concrete. With this material, othercharacteristics were developed, such as the number of floors which were increased, thewalls were grossed and there was more space because there was not necessaryenormous columns. The objective of the Art Dco was to beautify every constructiveelement in the colony.This art can be observed in the signs with the streets names, in the concretes signswhere rules are written and in the parks benches whose French influence is indicatedwith lanterns, but Mexican people added mosaic pieces to give them their own style.Also is characterized by large rectangular windows, tucked hits, canopies, blacksmithwith various geometric and linear styles, mosaic floors, low lighting cornices, furniturewith chromed tubular supports, works in fountains and mailboxes.

Art Dco conceives the culture as a creation; it transcended in the cultural and civil life.It was strongly involved with Mexican nationalism and their main characteristics wereabout the transformation of the interior spaces through the Decoration and the treatmentof facades. Art Dco influenced the design of the cityscape and the homes of the rich. It

also became the style of the pleasure palaces of the age this as represented with hotels,cocktail bars, nightclubs and cinemas. Everywhere, it came to represent new aspirationsand desires, notably the search for youth, glamour, fantasy and fun.

Conclusion

Having exposed the characteristics of the styles, we have seen the evolution ofarchitecture styles, which have answered to different wills of truth. The country reacheda point in which it was socially necessary to find one idea that could define them. Theyfirst wanted to have unity between them by using nationalism reflected in theneocolonial style. Mexico defined its identity through the viceroyalty, which had the

objective to recover the past so citizens could know their origins. Also, the purpose ofthe neocolonial style was to promote Mexicans culture, in order to be separated from


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