Abstract

This article explores a form of cultural hybridity found in Mexican Baroque architecture, which emerged mainly as a result of the contact between European and indigenous cultures in colonial society and the subsequent ‘borrowing’ of certain elements from each. A variety of cultural influences led to the creation of architectural ‘hybrids’, as new materials and innovative techniques were introduced; fusing the old with the new, and creating a unique style as a result. An unconventional combination of styles as well as a dramatic excess in ornamentation reflect feelings of confusion and instability typical of the European Baroque; however it is the incorporation of the traditional mixed with the new that shaped the development of Mexican architecture of the period and distinguished it from Baroque architecture in other areas of Latin America. Three examples that embody the typical Poblano Baroque style are examined: the Rosary Chapel of the Church of Santo Domingo, the Church of San Francisco Acatepec, and the Church of Santa Maria Tonantzintla, with particular emphasis on the cultural hybridity they reflect given their environment and historical context.