Longitudinal historical transformation of housing in the southern Isthmus of Tehuantepec through cultural encounters

Abstract

The transformation of traditional housing is driven by phenomena inherent to the communities as well as by external factors at different scales. Thus, encounters between cultures and the social and ecological reconfigurations they entail transform the habitable space. Amid the transit of goods, permanent settlements, and occupations of dominance, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region has been a scene of encounters. The objective of this work is to analyze how historical encounters and coexistences of different cultural groups have influenced the evolution and reconfiguration of various housing types that have existed in the region. Spatially, the synthesis focuses on the low region of the Oaxacan Isthmus. Temporally, four moments of analysis are identified: the arrival of the Huave group, the Zapotec descent, the Viceroyalty, and the Isthmus in the global context. The research is based on the systematic cross-referencing of bibliographic, cartographic, and photographic documents, through which the encounters between cultures, socio-territorial changes, and transformations in housing are intertwined. Six types of housing were identified in relation to cultural encounters. The study concludes with a reflection on the relevance of the longitudinal study of the transformation of traditional housing, emphasizing the impact of cultural encounters on ways of life and construction culture