Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

's architectural heritage includes Spanish colonial architecture, such as Catholic churches. Its modern architecture represents various International Style architecture. In the

postmodern architecture Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the International Style (architecture), international style adv ...

era, a wave of innovate and striking buildings have been designed. Colombian cultural heritage includes indigenous, European, Indian and African influences. The country's colonial buildings reflect their Spanish (and particularly

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

n origin, as seen in the traditional single-story) houses laid around a central ''patio'', to be found both in colonial towns such as Santafé (

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

), Tunja or Cartagena, or in rural haciendas throughout the country. After gaining its independence, Colombia severed its links with Spain and looked elsewhere for new models, first England, then France,Banco de la República. ''La arquitectura republicana en Cartagena''. Available online a

Consulted 09-11-2010 marking the beginning of what became known as Republican Architecture (''Arquitectura republicana''), an era that lasted well into the twentieth century, when the changes in architectural thinking in Europe brought Modern Architecture to the country during the last years before World War II. Prominent Colombian architects include Rafael Esguerra, Daniel Bermúdez,

Giancarlo Mazzanti Giancarlo Mazzanti (born 1963) is a Colombian architect based in Bogota. Mazzanti was born in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1963. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture from the Pontifical Xaverian University in Bogotá (Pontificia ...

Rogelio Salmona Rogelio Salmona (April 28, 1929 – October 3, 2007) was a French Colombian architect. He was noted for his extensive use of red brick in his buildings and for using natural shapes like spirals, radial geometry and curves in his designs. Duri ...

, Álvaro Barrera,

Patricio Samper Gnecco Patricio Samper Gnecco (1 November 1930 – 5 January 2006) was a Colombia architect, urbanist and politician. A former Ambassador of Colombia to Israel and former Ambassador of Colombia to Bulgaria, he also served as Councilman for Bogotá ...

Bruce Graham Bruce John Graham (December 1, 1925 – March 6, 2010) was a Colombian-born Peruvian-American architect. Graham built buildings all over the world and was deeply involved with evolving the Burnham Plan of Chicago. Among his most notable buil ...

, Laureano Forero Ochoa,

Pedro Nel Gómez Pedro Nel Gómez Agudelo (4 July, 1899–6 June, 1984) was a Colombian engineer, painter, and sculptor, best known for his work as a muralist, and for starting, along with Santiago Martinez Delgado, the Colombian Muralist Movement, inspired b ...

, Raúl Fajardo Moreno, Rafael Esguerra, Arturo Robledo Ocampo and Simón Vélez. Firms include plan:B. Jorge Arango, Andres Cortes, Jaime Correa and Felipe Hernandez (architect) were born in Colombia.

worked in Colombia. Expats such as Leopold Rother worked in Colombia.

Indigenous architecture

Muisca

Pre-Columbian architecture was varied. The

Muisca The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca spe ...

, although portrayed as the summit of Colombian indigenous civilization, was modest compared to

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

or the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

. Their architecture was limited to rather small settlements and structures, made out of wood and clay instead of stone.

Tairona

Some other pre-Columbian civilizations are known for their architecture, such as the

Tairona Tairona or Tayrona was a Pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia, Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, which consisted in a group of chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar Department, Cesar, Magdalena Department, Mag ...

(known for

Ciudad Perdida Ciudad Perdida ( Spanish for "lost city"; also known as Teyuna and Buritaca-200) is the archaeological site of an ancient city in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of Colombia, within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Santa Marta. This city ...

) and the culture of Tierradentro.

Colonial period

n architecture reflects seventeenth-century Spanish colonial origins. Regional differences derive from those found in Spain. Thus, hints of Moorish and Castilian architecture are evident in many cities. Many areas have had difficulty maintaining older structures, and the climate has destroyed many

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

buildings. The many churches that dot the landscape are among the country's architectural gems, whose interiors reflect the influence of Medieval and Renaissance churches in Spain. Newer buildings in larger cities utilize modern styles with adaptations of the Baroque style supplemented with wood and wrought-iron elements.

Modern architecture in Colombia

In the 1930s, Colombia began to embrace modern architecture. The new

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

government tore down many older buildings that were replaced with buildings influenced by the International style. According to architectural historian Silvia Arango, Colombian modern architecture had two moments: a first one called the "Boast of technique", that, starting from the 40s, assimilated and replicated foreign influence through the use of modern techniques (as concrete structures and prefabricated pieces), and a second one, called the "Conscious assimilation", that used some the technical and stylistic elements from the

modern movement Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

and mixed it with local materials and formal languages that didn't coincide with the Modern canon.Arango, S. Historia de la arquitectura en Colombia. (1988). Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Housing developments

Until the mid-1940s, most Colombians lived in single-family dwellings built of cinder blocks and covered with an adobe made of clay, cow manure, and hay. Uncontrolled urban growth due to massive migration from rural areas resulted in large unplanned settlements in cities. There have been a few notable examples of high-density housing projects, but most are targeted to the rising middle-class. These include the Centro Antonio Nariño, which followed the principles of

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...

and the Torres del Parque by architect

Pre-Columbian and Indigenous architecture

File:Wikitravel Ciudad perdida archi.jpg, Teyuna (Ciudad Perdida),

, c. 800AD File:View of Ciudad Perdida.jpg, Teyuna (Ciudad Perdida),

, c. 800AD File:Villa de Leyva el infiernito.jpg,

El Infiernito ''El Infiernito'' ( Spanish for "The Little Hell"), is a pre-Columbian archaeoastronomical site located on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the outskirts of Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia. It is composed of several earthworks surrounding a s ...

, c. 1200–1500AD File:El Morro de Tulcán, Popayán.jpg, Mound of Tulcán, Pubén, c. 800–1500AD File:Templo del sol.jpg,

Sun Temple A sun temple (or solar temple) is a building used for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, dedicated to the sun or a solar deity. Such temples were built by a number different cultures and are distributed around th ...

, c. 1200–1500AD (Reconstructed, 1942) File:Nabusimake el paraíso terrenal.jpg, Nabusimake, Arhuaco, c. 800–present File:NABUSIMAKE, LA PUERTA AL CIELO.jpg, Nabusimake, Arhuaco, c. 800–present

Spanish Colonial Architecture (c. 1500–1810)

Caribbean Region

File:Plaza de la Aduana, Cartagena 03.jpg, Plaza de la Aduana, Cartagena, Bolívar, c. 1533–1830 File:Baluarte de Santo Domingo2.jpg, City Walls of Cartagena, Bolívar, 1614–1814 File:Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Cartagena 05.jpg, Church of St. Peter Claver, Cartagena, Bolívar, 1580–1654 File:Iglesia de Santa Bárbara en Mompox.jpg, Church of Santa Bárbara, Mompox, Bolívar, 1613 File:Sector antiguo de mompox.JPG, Colonial street in Mompox, Bolívar, c. 1537–1830 File:2018 Santa Marta (Colombia) - Centro Histórico, Catedral Basílica.jpg, Santa Marta Cathedral,

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

, Magdalena, 1760–1766

Andean Region

Cities and towns

File:Mongui (257).jpg, Colonial street in Monguí, Boyacá, c. 1601–1830 File:Frente a frente Guaduas.JPG, Colonial street in

Guaduas Guaduas () is a municipality and town in Colombia, in the Lower Magdalena Province department of Cundinamarca Department, Cundinamarca, about 117 km from Bogotá. It is an agricultural and tourist center of some importance with a populati ...

, Cundinamarca, c. 1572–1830 File:Street in Barichara 02.jpg, Colonial street in Barichara, Santander, c. 1705–1830 File:SANTA FE DE ANTIOQUIA-4.jpg, Colonial street in Santa Fe de Antioquia, c. 1541–1830

Churches and cathedrals

File:Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Villa de Leyva 03.jpg, Church of

Villa de Leyva Villa de Leyva, also called Villa de Leiva, is a touristic colonial town and municipality, in the Ricaurte Province, part of the Boyacá Department of Colombia. The town is a Colombian National Heritage Town and is on the tentative list for UNE ...

, Boyacá, 1604 File:Hacienda San Rafael.jpg, Chapel of the Hacienda San Rafael, Suba,

, c. 1650 File:Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria en Bogotá.jpg, Church of La Candelaria,

, 1686–1703 File:Iglesia de Las Aguas.JPG, Church of Las Aguas, La Candelaria,

, 1657–1694 File:Iglesia de la Veracruz, Medellín 01.jpg, Iglesia de la Veracruz, Medellín File:Vista posterior Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción de Santa Fe de Antioquia.jpg, Santa Fe de Antioquia Cathedral File:Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Popayán 01.jpg, Church of Santo Domingo, Popayán

Educational and public buildings

File:Camarín del Carmen 3 - Bogotá.jpg, Camarín del Carmen Theatre

Domestic architecture

File:Casa de Francisco de Paula Santander.jpg, House of Francisco de Paula Santander, Cúcuta

Republican Architecture (c. 1810–1920)

Government buildings

File:Bogotá Palacio San Francisco.JPG, Palace of San Francisco, Santa Fe,

, 1918–1933 File:Capitalio National de Colombia, Bogotá.jpg,

National Capitol of Colombia The National Capitol of Colombia (), often simply referred to as ''Capitolio Nacional'' ''(National Capitol)'', is a building on Bolivar Square in central Bogotá, the construction of which began in 1848 and was finished in 1926. It houses both ...

, La Candelaria,

, 1848–1926 File:Palacio de Justicia.jpg, National Palace,

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

, Valle del Cauca, 1928–1933 File:Hall Casa de Nariño.jpg, Interior of the presidential Palace of Nariño, La Candelaria,

, 1906–1908

Neoclassical churches and cathedrals

File:Catedral de Bogotá.jpg, Bogotá Cathedral File:2018 Medellín iglesia de San Ignacio.jpg, Iglesia de San Ignacio, Medellín File:Templo Histórico Cúcuta.jpg, Historic Temple of Cúcuta, 1879-1897

Neoclassical educational and public buildings

File:Teatro Colon b.JPG, Teatro Colón, Bogotá File:Fachada Museo Nacional de Colombia.jpg, National Museum File:Claustro San Ignacio-Fachada Norte.JPG, Claustro de San Ignacio, Medellín File:Altar de la patria de dia.jpg, Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino File:Biblioteca Pública Julio Pérez Ferrero.JPG, Julio Pérez Ferrero Public Library, Cúcuta File:Gimnasio moderno, Bogotá.JPG, Main building of the Gimnasio Moderno School, Bogotá

Gothic Revival

File:Santuario de Las Lajas, Ipiales, Colombia, 2015-07-21, DD 21-23 HDR.jpg, Church of Las Lajas File:Torre central de la iglesia de Lourdes en Bogotá.JPG, Iglesia de Lourdes, Bogotá File:Basilia menor del Santo Cristo de Ubaté.jpg, Church of Ubaté, Cundinamarca File:Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe, Centro de Medellín.JPG, Palace of Culture, Medellín

Romanesque Revival

File:Catedral de Medellin-Esquina.JPG, Medellín Cathedral File:Catedral de Medellin- Torre Oriental.JPG, Medellín Cathedral File:Catedral de Girardota-Fachada Frontal.JPG, Girardota Cathedral

Modern architecture (c. 1920-1970)

High-rise buildings

File:Conjunto Residencial Torres del Parque 1.JPG, Torres del Parque, Santa Fe,

, 1965–1970 File:Bogotá carrera 10 Hotel Tequendama.JPG, Hotel Tequendama, Santa Fe,

, 1953–1970 File:Coltejer-Medellin.jpg, Torre Coltejer, Medellín File:Torre Colpatria siete.jpg, Torre Colpatria, Bogotá

Universities, schools and libraries

File:Luisangel.jpg, Luís Ángel Arango Library, La Candelaria,

, 1955–1958 File:National University of Colombia, School of Engineering.jpg, Faculty of Engineering at the

National University of Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, ...

Teusaquillo Teusaquillo is the 13th locality of Bogotá, capital of Colombia. It is located in the geographic center of the city, to the northwest of downtown Bogotá. This district is inhabited by middle and upper class residents. It is an urbanized locality ...

, 1940–1945 File:Sala de Conciertos de la Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango (40062228015).jpg, Concert Hall of the Luís Ángel Arango Library, Bogotá File:BOG Museo del Oro.JPG, Museo del Oro, Bogotá

Churches and cathedral

File:Barranquilla Catedral.jpg, Barranquilla Cathedral

Art Deco Architecture

File:2019 Barranquilla (Colombia) - Teatro Colón.jpg, Teatro Colón, Barranquilla File:BqEdGarcia.jpg, Edificio García, Barranquilla File:Barranquilla - Detalle déco Romelio Martínez.jpg, Romelio Martínez Stadium, Barranquilla File:Barranquilla Centro Comercial Calle Real.jpg, Calle Real Shopping Mall, Barranquilla

Contemporary architecture (c. 1970-present)

File:CiudadelaColsubsidio.JPG, Ciudadela Colsubsidio, Bogotá File:Biblioteca Julio Mario Santodomingo.jpg, Julio Mario Santo Domingo Public Library, Bogotá File:Biblioteca Tintal.jpg, El Tintal Public Library, Bogotá File:Ccggm Btá.JPG, Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez, Bogotá File:Lateral Virgilio Barco día.jpg, Virgilio Barco Public Library File:Interiorccu 06.jpg, Cultural Center of the University of Caldas, Manizales

References

*Benjamin Villegas (ed.), ''Casa Republicana: Colombia's Belle Epoque'' (1995) {{Authority control