Andes Colonial Architecture

In the architecture of the Andean region, as in Mexico, there was richness and inventiveness, but with some significant variations. One of the most important 16th-century buildings was the Church of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador, in which Spanish and Italian styles were blended.

In Peru architects preferred heavier and more massive forms. Huge curving forms projected over doors and windows in many buildings of Lima. Columns in Mexico were freely carved with great fantasy; in Peru they were heavy and often spiral.

Peruvian wall surfaces were divided into a series of large compartments rather than covered with shallow carving, as were those of Mexico.

The Church of San Agustín (1720), with a statue in the central niche dominating the whole facade, illustrates a distinctive type developed in Lima.

In S Peru and in Bolivia native influence in ornamentation, in both technique and representation, pervaded the basic European architectural forms. On the facade of the Church of San Lorenzo (1728–44) in Potosí, richly decorated native figures function as caryatids or spiral columns.

Some examples of colonial architecture:

Lima Cathedral:
Colonial Lima is filled with gorgeous Spanish buildings originally built during the time of the conquistadors. This cathedral, which houses the remains of Pizarro, Is the emblem of the city.

Compania de Jesus:
Built upon the ruins of a grand Incan palace, this church on Cusco's main plaza upstages the cathedral next door.

Convent of Santa Catalina:
Within Arequipa is a walled convent which was closed off from the city for over 400 years. Inside is a beautiful series of buildings and alleys which are painted in gorgeous Mediterranean hues.