Traditional houses in the South-Western Iberian Peninsula: Themes for a cross-border comparative typological study

Abstract

[EN] Up until the 13th century, the South-western Iberian Peninsula shared the same cultural and political conditions under the rule of garb-Al-Andaluz. The administrative separation of this territory between two different kingdoms led to deep changes in the culture and daily life on either side of the border, which may have reflected on housing structures. Did the 13th-century border between Spain and Portugal trigger divergent paths in housing types? Or has the previous common background prevailed in shaping house models in the territory around the Guadiana Valley? This paper proposes a set of themes to begin a cross-border study on the traditional house, its changes and continuities. The research is based on in loco architectonic surveys of common houses in the Algarve, Alentejo (Portugal) and Andalusia (Spain). The buildings are analysed as regard their spatial organizations, constructive techniques and urban implantation allowing some themes of change and continuity to emerge. This then allows comparisons between the types of traditional houses in these border regions, their common characteristics, differences and evolution paths. It is noticeable that, given how the South-western Iberia represents the same territorial unit in terms of climate and orography, and – until the 13th century – shared the same historical context, the urban similarities were profound. It is therefore almost surprising how divergent the housing evolution between the two sides would become. The study of housing architecture is of particular relevance to the history of people as the variations reflect how the habits and customs of societies. Especially in societies sharing the same starting point, it shows how habits and customs may diverge after separation into two different administrative entities.