Puerto Rico 1900: Turn-Of-The-Century Architecture in the Hispanic Caribbean, 1890-1930

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Summary: Looking at our roots
Review: In these combination of essays and photographs, Jorge Rigau, was able to give us a background of the reality of Puerto Rican architecture. When we think of Puerto Rican architecture, the images that comes to our minds is that of the old fortresses and walls of Old San Juan. However, in this insighful book the author present us with other aspects, sometimes forgotten, of the vernacular architecture of Puerto Rico. Looking at the nature of why buildings were constructed in certain ways in Ponce, Mayaguez, San German, etc. Also, it helps to explain the transformation of the Puerto Rican society from an economic (agrarian to industrial) and political (Spanish colony to US territory) perspective and how these influences resulted in an unique architectural style. Puerto Rico 1900 is a wonderful resource for those interested in knowing more about this issue.