Álamos, Sonora: Architecture and Urbanism in the Dry Tropics
by John Messina
University of Arizona Press, 2008 eISBN: 978-0-8165-4947-4 | Cloth: 978-0-8165-2651-2 Library of Congress Classification NA757.A43M47 2008 Dewey Decimal Classification 720.97217
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The town of Álamos in the state of Sonora, Mexico, a one-day drive from the Arizona border, is one of the most intact colonial-era cities in northern Mexico. Álamos has been declared a National Historic Monument by the Mexican government and is one of only fourteen towns to be designated as Pueblos Mágicos. Founded by Spaniards who discovered silver deposits nearby, Álamos was a prosperous city from its inception. It is situated in a “dry tropical” valley where both desert flora and tropical plants intermingle. The propitious combination of wealth, climate, and New World Hispanic town planning principles led to the development of a remarkable architecture and city plan.
Until now, there has never been a book about the architecture and urban form of Álamos. In this much-needed work, John Messina, who teaches architecture and is a practicing architect, provides a well-informed history and interpretive description of the town. He also examines building materials and construction techniques, as well as issues of building preservation and restoration. At the same time, the author considers what other cities might learn from Álamos. Particularly for cities in the American Southwest that are struggling to reduce sprawl and increase density without compromising their quality of life, Álamos offers a range of possible solutions.
Thoroughly illustrated and designed for lay readers and professionals alike, this engaging book captures the essence and the uniqueness of Álamos while asking what lessons can be drawn by architects and planners who are attempting to reshape our own cities and towns into more livable, viable, and people-friendly environments.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
John Messina is a practicing architect who holds the position of Research Architect in the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona. He is also a Senior Lecturer in the University of Arizona's School of Architecture. He has been researching the architecture and urbanism of northwest Mexico and the American Southwest for more than twenty years.
REVIEWS
"Geographers will find much to savor in John Messina's crisp, concise, and skillfully presented townscape portrait of Álamos, Mexico. A polished volume that scholars and those concerned with historic preservation, design, and sustainability will want to have on their shelves." —Journal of Latin American Geography
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(FMT)Contents(\)
List of Illustrations 00
Preface 00
Introduction 00
1. The Making of a Town in Northern New Spain 00
2. Urban Morphology 000
3. The Quiet Plaza and the Bishop's Dream 000
4. Urban Realities and Fantasies 000
5. La Casa Alamense 000
6. The Lessons of Álamos 000
Glossary of Sonoran Architecture and Construction Terms 000
Notes 000
Bibliography 000
Index 000
(FMT)Illustrations(\)
A high view of Álamos from the southeast 00
Map of Sonora drawn by Catherine Gilman 00
The Río Mayo north of Álamos 00
Ruin of the mission church at Macoyahui 00
Aqueduct near El Frijol 00
Detached eighteenth-century dwelling, c. 1950 00
Postcard image (c. 1970) of Calle Obregón 00
An Álamos casona with emblematic portales 00
A narrow, shaded street in Álamos 00
An Álamos zagu n 00
A densely landscaped patio in Álamos 00
Map indicating extant eighteenth-century buildings 00
Map indicating extant eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings 00
Map indicating Álamos at mid--twentieth century 00
Map of the historic core of Álamos 00
Capilla or Nuestra Señora de Zapop n 00
An eighteenth-century building called "la Ciudadela" that once served as a
military barracks 00
Street life in the vicinity of the alameda 00
The entry into Álamos on Calle F. Madero 00
High view from the east of the Plaza de las Armas and the parish church 00
Map of the plaza area 00
The arcaded facade of a large dwelling (currently Hotel los Portales) on the
plaza 00
Steps and wagon ramp leading to Casa José María Almada (Hotel los Portales)
and Casa del Águila 00
View of the Álamos parish church from the portales of Casa José María Almada
and Casa del Águila 00
A public sidewalk passing through privately owned portales 00
Three unified dwelling facades facing the plaza 00
The parish church, Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción 00
Floor plan of the parish church 00
The east entry of the parish church 00
Rear and side massing of the parish church as viewed from a nearby roof 00
Side-elevation massing of the parish church as viewed from street level 00
The baroque tower of the parish church 00
The interior of the parish church 00
Map of the area surrounding the alameda 00
Street life on the alameda 00
A Sunday evening taco stand on the plaza 00
The mercado municipal of Álamos 00
The palacio municipal of Álamos 00
Map of the area surrounding Calle Comercio and la Tienda "Gato Negro" 00
The Tienda "Gato Negro" viewed from the east on Calle Comercio 00
An early-twentieth-century photograph of Calle Comercio looking west 00
The north elevation of the former c rcel and military garrison on Cerro de
Guadalupe 00
The interior of the c rcel undergoing restoration in 2001 00
A stately casona on Calle Obregón 00
A plain yet elegant facade on an Álamos dwelling 00
Floor plan and elevation of an early-nineteenth-century Mexico City house
00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa José María Almada (Hotel los
Portales) 00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa Familia Almada (Restaurant las
Palmeras) 00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa del Águila 00
Floor plan of an eighteenth-century casona facing the plaza with an earlier
structure embedded in the building 00
The patio of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Casa Simón Almada 00
View of flat-roof dwellings from the roof of the parish church 00
Typical zagu n leading from the street to a patio 00
Zagu n transom with a decorative wrought-iron grill 00
Patio within a nineteenth-century Álamos casona 00
Patio with container rather than bed planting 00
Wrought-iron reja 00
Stone dwelling in Álamos 00
Example of a two-story building in Álamos 00
Two houses with protruding porches 00
Historic photograph of Alamenses gathered on their portal 00
The pool and native planting in the garden of René and Martha Solis 00
The caretakers of Casa Solis 00
An addition to an eighteenth-century dwelling being laid out on its site, c.
1950 00
Construction workers building a stone foundation in Álamos, c. 1950 00
Site-made adobes drying in the sun, c. 1950 00
Contemporary adobe yard on outskirts of Álamos 00
An arch being reconstructed on an eighteenth-century Álamos dwelling, c. 1950
00
A new arch being built in Álamos, c. 1950 00
The ruined portion of a house on the plaza being cleaned in preparation for
restoration and reconstruction 00
Eighteenth-century dwelling in the process of being expanded, c. 1950 00
An early official survey (date unknown) of a property lot in Álamos 00
Álamos, near the plaza, on a winter morning 00
Álamos, Sonora: Architecture and Urbanism in the Dry Tropics
by John Messina
University of Arizona Press, 2008 eISBN: 978-0-8165-4947-4 Cloth: 978-0-8165-2651-2
The town of Álamos in the state of Sonora, Mexico, a one-day drive from the Arizona border, is one of the most intact colonial-era cities in northern Mexico. Álamos has been declared a National Historic Monument by the Mexican government and is one of only fourteen towns to be designated as Pueblos Mágicos. Founded by Spaniards who discovered silver deposits nearby, Álamos was a prosperous city from its inception. It is situated in a “dry tropical” valley where both desert flora and tropical plants intermingle. The propitious combination of wealth, climate, and New World Hispanic town planning principles led to the development of a remarkable architecture and city plan.
Until now, there has never been a book about the architecture and urban form of Álamos. In this much-needed work, John Messina, who teaches architecture and is a practicing architect, provides a well-informed history and interpretive description of the town. He also examines building materials and construction techniques, as well as issues of building preservation and restoration. At the same time, the author considers what other cities might learn from Álamos. Particularly for cities in the American Southwest that are struggling to reduce sprawl and increase density without compromising their quality of life, Álamos offers a range of possible solutions.
Thoroughly illustrated and designed for lay readers and professionals alike, this engaging book captures the essence and the uniqueness of Álamos while asking what lessons can be drawn by architects and planners who are attempting to reshape our own cities and towns into more livable, viable, and people-friendly environments.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
John Messina is a practicing architect who holds the position of Research Architect in the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona. He is also a Senior Lecturer in the University of Arizona's School of Architecture. He has been researching the architecture and urbanism of northwest Mexico and the American Southwest for more than twenty years.
REVIEWS
"Geographers will find much to savor in John Messina's crisp, concise, and skillfully presented townscape portrait of Álamos, Mexico. A polished volume that scholars and those concerned with historic preservation, design, and sustainability will want to have on their shelves." —Journal of Latin American Geography
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(FMT)Contents(\)
List of Illustrations 00
Preface 00
Introduction 00
1. The Making of a Town in Northern New Spain 00
2. Urban Morphology 000
3. The Quiet Plaza and the Bishop's Dream 000
4. Urban Realities and Fantasies 000
5. La Casa Alamense 000
6. The Lessons of Álamos 000
Glossary of Sonoran Architecture and Construction Terms 000
Notes 000
Bibliography 000
Index 000
(FMT)Illustrations(\)
A high view of Álamos from the southeast 00
Map of Sonora drawn by Catherine Gilman 00
The Río Mayo north of Álamos 00
Ruin of the mission church at Macoyahui 00
Aqueduct near El Frijol 00
Detached eighteenth-century dwelling, c. 1950 00
Postcard image (c. 1970) of Calle Obregón 00
An Álamos casona with emblematic portales 00
A narrow, shaded street in Álamos 00
An Álamos zagu n 00
A densely landscaped patio in Álamos 00
Map indicating extant eighteenth-century buildings 00
Map indicating extant eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings 00
Map indicating Álamos at mid--twentieth century 00
Map of the historic core of Álamos 00
Capilla or Nuestra Señora de Zapop n 00
An eighteenth-century building called "la Ciudadela" that once served as a
military barracks 00
Street life in the vicinity of the alameda 00
The entry into Álamos on Calle F. Madero 00
High view from the east of the Plaza de las Armas and the parish church 00
Map of the plaza area 00
The arcaded facade of a large dwelling (currently Hotel los Portales) on the
plaza 00
Steps and wagon ramp leading to Casa José María Almada (Hotel los Portales)
and Casa del Águila 00
View of the Álamos parish church from the portales of Casa José María Almada
and Casa del Águila 00
A public sidewalk passing through privately owned portales 00
Three unified dwelling facades facing the plaza 00
The parish church, Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción 00
Floor plan of the parish church 00
The east entry of the parish church 00
Rear and side massing of the parish church as viewed from a nearby roof 00
Side-elevation massing of the parish church as viewed from street level 00
The baroque tower of the parish church 00
The interior of the parish church 00
Map of the area surrounding the alameda 00
Street life on the alameda 00
A Sunday evening taco stand on the plaza 00
The mercado municipal of Álamos 00
The palacio municipal of Álamos 00
Map of the area surrounding Calle Comercio and la Tienda "Gato Negro" 00
The Tienda "Gato Negro" viewed from the east on Calle Comercio 00
An early-twentieth-century photograph of Calle Comercio looking west 00
The north elevation of the former c rcel and military garrison on Cerro de
Guadalupe 00
The interior of the c rcel undergoing restoration in 2001 00
A stately casona on Calle Obregón 00
A plain yet elegant facade on an Álamos dwelling 00
Floor plan and elevation of an early-nineteenth-century Mexico City house
00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa José María Almada (Hotel los
Portales) 00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa Familia Almada (Restaurant las
Palmeras) 00
Floor plan of the eighteenth-century Casa del Águila 00
Floor plan of an eighteenth-century casona facing the plaza with an earlier
structure embedded in the building 00
The patio of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Casa Simón Almada 00
View of flat-roof dwellings from the roof of the parish church 00
Typical zagu n leading from the street to a patio 00
Zagu n transom with a decorative wrought-iron grill 00
Patio within a nineteenth-century Álamos casona 00
Patio with container rather than bed planting 00
Wrought-iron reja 00
Stone dwelling in Álamos 00
Example of a two-story building in Álamos 00
Two houses with protruding porches 00
Historic photograph of Alamenses gathered on their portal 00
The pool and native planting in the garden of René and Martha Solis 00
The caretakers of Casa Solis 00
An addition to an eighteenth-century dwelling being laid out on its site, c.
1950 00
Construction workers building a stone foundation in Álamos, c. 1950 00
Site-made adobes drying in the sun, c. 1950 00
Contemporary adobe yard on outskirts of Álamos 00
An arch being reconstructed on an eighteenth-century Álamos dwelling, c. 1950
00
A new arch being built in Álamos, c. 1950 00
The ruined portion of a house on the plaza being cleaned in preparation for
restoration and reconstruction 00
Eighteenth-century dwelling in the process of being expanded, c. 1950 00
An early official survey (date unknown) of a property lot in Álamos 00
Álamos, near the plaza, on a winter morning 00
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC