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| Baelo Claudio, Romans Ruins |
Robina Lowry
From the cities to the sierras, the rolling inland plains to its long and varied coastline, Andalucía has a wealth of architecture.
In prehistoric times the early inhabitants of Andalucía moved great boulders to shelter their dead. Great Roman cities and roads strode across the region, eventually paving the way for Al-Andalus and nearly eight centuries of unparalleled Moorish urban and agricultural construction.
During the Reconquest of Spain, the Moors continued to build in their own tradition under Christian rule giving rise to the Mudéjar style of architecture. At the same time Gothic design was gradually being introduced from France and by the 13th century had begun to emerge in northern Andalucía. And from the 16th century there is still much evidence of the golden age of the Renaissance from which came the Plateresque style that is unique to Spain.
Delicate adornment gave way to the richly flowing extravagance of Baroque in the 17th and 18th centuries, followed by Neo-Classicism, a movement in the arts and architecture to return to the more classic lines of the past. This lasted until the end of the 19th century until Modernism became the dominant trend for industrial and corporate buildings, especially in the second half of the 20th century.
Historical civilisations are often recognised by their architectural accomplishments and cities and regions identified by their buildings and monuments. This is very true in Andalucía, a region rich in visible examples from every period throughout the ages, from the ancient dolmens in Antequera to the contemporary bridge over the Guadalquivir in Sevilla.
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