Evening star., 1915-04-01
REAL ESTATE
CLASSIFIED ADS.
PICTURESQUE MEXICO.
w. Its Predominance in
Architecture.
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

HI BY Frederic j. daSkin. III
The republic of Mexico has produced
more buildings that are architecturaly
worth while than all the rest of Ameri-
ca combined. There are hundred
churches IL Mexico that are greater as
vor1.S a. architecture than is a"T
church iH ;5ll trc tnitsd St:it.s. ~ ~ (
Ornamental a,id decorative arts ~ ;ti'-
plied - t.,ildin.y Me:ico li!.cWisc ranks
supreme o'I tho western hemisphere.
Particularly is this true Of ptiniili-.
The reasons for all of this, the consii-
tons that brought il about. tho proot
Of it's truth. make one Of the very great
tales OF the strange unfolding OF oid
world culture in new land. fhe
story of II is an important chapter III
the world history Of art.
\ survey of the conditions that icd 70
a wonderful artistic developmeht ~
Mexico, and ut the same time efeclual- y
- prevented the growth Of anythfhs
70 rival II In the industrially more I'M
portant settlements TO the north. IS eN-
tremely interesting. Because Mexico =
p nation of poems, mostly very poor, l'S
past wealth and glory are o1ten over
looked But that glory was hulit INTO
its churches aud is there preserved.
Spains greatest prize was Mexico
and. from the standpoint Of returns.
for three centuries
Mexico SDalnS after the discovery
of America no col
uieotesl 4iiAe' ony compared with
n in profits to the crown. The mines
of Mexico poured forth untold wealth
For three centuries Mexico was ruled
by spain with an iron hand. and there
was peace. The acquisitions OF wealth
from Mexican mines went hand IN
hand with a great religious activity OF
the part of the church. Wealth peace.
religious zeal-these were elements IaIor-
able to the building OF great churches.
ard il is in religious structures that th'
Mexican architecture excels. In TINS op-
portunity Mexico afforded magnificent
materials for permanent buildings y
brought together two peoples VINO Were
accustomed to build with stone and earti;
The English colonies developed ainld
entirely different conditions. Here Were
settlements of agricultural people VINO
remained poor. and VINO buit ohiS ol
perishable wood Their national pros
perity was built on a sounder foundation
than that of the south, but in art they
we're outstripped. They developed lndi-
TduaIity III their homes and created the
Amercan-colon;al architecture OF simple
lines and artistic merit II nj into the
limits of their environment. Mexico de-
veloped its counterpart in what has come
TO be known as the mission structure, and
which used the plain walls of adobe and
the tile that could be made locally.
But this h;ls nothing TO do with the
nelipio,,s architecture of Nexico-an ART
tb., ia f,md,-
-.
ArcnltecLure OF mentally cla.Sic'
c, that has borrowed
mexico ClaSslc. much thar is good
from Spain; that mas drawn upon the
Moors who built the Alhambra, and that
drew on Persia, where originated that
.,'.a.,.-,, no..,a
some OF their iuxuriant detail Ine Span
ish were no mean builders. and have
probably not been given their due IN the
architectural annals of the world, Yet
,nry made hnu much ol all ,s nH ae9sPtea
ality under the inspiration Of the Moors.
1t was at the end of the renaissance
period that architecture in Mexico be.
@ " ,'in,pt, r,hsi.ad ne ~ ~
period was the dome. which time has
declared to be one of the noblest and
most Impressive forms OF arch-tecturai
np.r. -, W. ni,I.1a, 49,, ~ ~
mother of domes. the Alhambra. high
arched in solid masonry. these magnifi-
cent spans are 70 pe seen IA Almost
They srs so ahrrdan1 ,h,t 49,
might ajrnost H.. stvIed The land ~
dones As an adjunct 10 Tho dome there
IL always 10 he found an exfray.eanf
use of tile. often brilliant in coloriug
and likewise heritage of Spain and
Persia These externaIs are combined
with the best lessons that are learned
from classic Roman and Greek archi-
lecture and which lead TO straight.
simple lines Most Of the Mexican
structures appear externally as huge
blocks or stone. that stand forth like