An Approach to Study the Local Particularities in the Architectonic Evolution of the Churches in the Cundinamarca-Boyacá Tableland Indigenous Towns from Mid-16th to 19th Centuries

Abstract

The local particularities in each cultural asset and its context have a bearing on its recognition as a cultural heritage and allow to examine closely the reality of the cultural object(s) and its evolution throughout the time and to demarcate
the differences involved. This fact encouraged the study of the evolution of the churches in the Cundinamarca-Boyacá Tableland indigenous towns under a historic-technological approach. This work starts by studying the materiality
through the lens of the contextual conjunctions between the 16th-century ending and the 19th century. Based on e documentary file sources, the understanding of both the spatial and historic context, and in situ comparisons,
their conceiving and building variables were identified. These variables are essential when interpreting the churches as evidence and traces of the different moments making them a non-homogeneous set. Seven architectonic stages
were deduced in relation to their specific context transformations by putting emphasis on the local phenomena. All this allows determining the broadness and diversity of the local heritage after studying it in depth, beyond the general,
foreign or stylish references and focusing on the site particularities. A conclusion is drawn that understanding the buildings as a result of the phenomena and conditions particular to the local context, not just of the foreign references,
is pivotal when interpreting and preserving the cultural heritage because this way one can deduce their differences
and the traits making unique each of these pieces