The Historical Geographies of the Churrigueresque in the Iberian World
This online session at the ASECS 2025 Annual Meeting (April 4-5, 2025) will explore the notion of the Churrigueresque in Hispanic architecture in the late 17th and 18th centuries.
Spanish art historiography of the late 1700s (Llaguno and Ceán Bermúdez) favored Juan de Herrera’s 16th-century classical architecture and Bourbon-era architects Ventura Rodríguez and Juan de Villanueva. The latter architects were credited with restoring canonical models and shaping a national artistic identity by some historical and modern writers. This narrative castigates other ornamental architectural styles that developed after the mid-1600s, that were described as decorative fantasies and their designers, like Hurtado, Churriguera, and Ribera, labeled as “heretics.”
In juxtaposition, the early 1900s American architects viewed Spanish architecture linearly, recognizing that Herrera’s work was in response to existing ornamental styles (like the Plateresque), and his “pure Classicism” gave way to Churriguera’s ornamental creations. While vilified in Spain, Churriguera was celebrated in America, and Herrera criticized for adopting an “unrooted” style deemed “out of key with the Spanish character,” unlike the ornamental styles that preceded or post-dated including the Churrigueresque. Few modern scholars have reconsidered this historiography by analyzing the exuberant aesthetic dominating Hispanic architecture in the late 17th and 18th centuries.
The Churrigueresque and its transoceanic interpretations remain understudied in English scholarship. This panel aims to further examine the Churrigueresque through textual analyses and studies of its relationship to the Hispanic world’s built environment, including architectural, sculptural, and ephemeral elements.
Topics
Proposals may address various aspects:
- Churrigueresque historiography and taxonomy, including the influence of other “decorative fantasies” or styles
- Influence of other cultures and their technologies
- Intersection of race and built environment, sensorial studies, and digital humanities
- Center and Periphery Methodologies concerning the Churrigueresque in the broader Iberian world
By exploring these topics, the panel seeks to deepen understanding of the Churrigueresque style and its significance in early modern Spanish and Spanish American architecture.
Co-chairs: Luis Gordo Peláez, California State University, Fresno, [email protected]; and Cody Barteet, UWO, [email protected]. Session ID: 145.
How to submit
Please use this submission form to send in proposals by September 20.