Haiti: Comments About Concrete Technology

Haiti shanties, from CNN.com

In January 19th 2010, Times of India published this article “Haiti earthquake: Architects blame shoddy steel, concrete for destruction”. Architects say that the poor conditions of the structures were the main cause of the death toll.

“ Poor quality concrete and steel explains the extent of quake devastation in Port-au-Prince, a team from the Emergency Architects Foundation said after three days in the Haitian capital.

Architects Patrick Coulombel and Serge Guno said they have visited over 30 key buildings to assess their structural soundness since Tuesday's quake which levelled much of Port-au-Prince”. Architects are afraid of the aftershocks as so many buildings are unsafe, collapsed or not: “shoddy steel reinforced bars, known as rebars, and bad quality concrete surrounding them.

"The rebars are soft, you can bend them with your hand and they're smooth while good rebars should be ridged. As for the concrete, the proportion of cement

is wrong, and there's the bad quality of the aggregate," said Coulombel”

"To save money, people use bad steel, less cement, and then the concrete, it's very technical and complicated (to make), here people aren't able to create good quality concrete," …Coulombel said certain building shapes are less prone to collapse than others -- and recommends pyramid shapes, where possible, even though he admitted "people don't necessarily want to live in a pyramid”.

Star shapes of buildings are better to resist earthquakes –it does not need to be a pyramid-; nobody knows the direction of the earthquake, concrete structures must be tied like rings.

Haitian houses. From http://www.wehaitians.com/mixed_photo_5.jpg

Unicef’s official photo of the year 2008. 21 years old Alice Smeets comes from a slum in Port Au Prince, called the “Cite Soleil” (City of Sun). From www.speedofcreativity.org/

I have been working long years in construction, and if an Argentine architect is considered experienced, he/she must know the concrete technology to perfection, and more than this: what we have to expect from workers pouring concrete and bending rebars, and which quality of materials manufacturers sell.

Trying to save money, sometimes a good quality cement is disregarded and cheapest cement is bought. First thing, the color is different, this is not the same composition, usually more cheap cement has to be used for the mortar. It means that the mortar is not exactly a formula that we follow from books.

Regarding rebars, it is scary to know that Haitian architects could bend them with their hands. Again, this is not enough to follow the drawings on the structural plans. The steel composition could vary, so the rebar “behavior” would not be as expected in calculations. It happened to me to receive silver color rebars for the concrete of a public building under construction; as soon as the workers bent them, they broke in two pieces. Being a new architect of 23 years old, I did not know how to resolve this issue. I called the structural engineer, who explained the rebars were too “ steeled” (“muy aceradas” he said) and the layout of rebars in beams and slabs was changed to use them without bending. It was more money invested in rebars but much less money and time in labor. Why didn't we return the rebars to the manufacturer? It was faster to change the layout than waiting for the new supplies, we couldn’t dismiss the one hundred concrete workers.

Labor is very important in concrete technology. If the quantity of rebars is too heavy, the workers will complain, they would not lift them up as required to allow the stones and mortar enter in the small gaps in between the bars; in consequence, the mortar would not pass through and the rebars could be exposed below the beams. On time, they will oxidate and collapse. A similar issue I’ve seen when workers are pouring concrete; the addition of water makes the mortar more flexible and easy to work with shovels, so it’s the architect or supervisor obligation to see for the correct consistence of the mortar; of course, the quantity of water should vary based on climatic conditions too. And at last, the worst of situations for works without supervision: “concrete” containing trash, wire, pieces of brick inside it, whatever to save the contractor’s money.

Haitian slum from the air. www.gadling.com/photos/haiti-from-the-air/615282/

Haiti from the air. From michael5000.blogspot.com/2008/07. Michael thinks this land must have been left for a park. I agree with him, overpopulation can spread anywhere. Note the different urban fabric of  settlements " under urban regulations", if I can say it....

In another article in CNN.com, January 12th, 2010, I’ve read “Haiti was a 'catastrophe waiting to happen'. Haiti’s ambassador declared that Haiti's infrastructure was among the world's worst even in the best of times; "It was a catastrophe waiting to happen," Raymond Alcide Joseph told CNN from Washington shortly after a 7.0 earthquake leveled parts of his home country”

"Among the numerous factors explaining the extent of the loss of lives and goods are the absence of land use zoning and building guidelines, and comprehensive enforcement mechanisms." The OAS report added Haiti has no national building codes. Former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Timothy M. Carney told CNN that Port-au-Prince was particularly at risk because it grew rapidly from a population of about 250,000 in the mid-1950s to more than 2 million today, all with little oversight. City planners had called for the surrounding hills to remain undeveloped in order to protect an aquifer. "That didn't happen," Carney said. "People started building up those hillsides." Instead of building concrete structures, they built shanties, he said. "My fear is that they all fell down." Here I see one of the consequences of overpopulation without affordable housing plans of appropriate technology.

Another consideration, even if they used concrete footings, they cannot superimpose to each other. Every foundation has a volume of action around it, to support the construction, this virtual volume cannot be part of another one. Those shanties would have fallen down even in a mudslide or heavy rain. After all, this is not the inhabitants’ fault. Strict regulations in Codes and inspections would have been applied, if people built on the hillsides, overcrowding themselves in the worst conditions, is because they were allowed to. And now, the terrible consequences.

The anecdote, please read in BBC on the news, date december 18th, 2006 (!!!!!!): The UN has made an appeal for $98m (£50.26m) to help Haiti's transition. “The appeal, for the period 2006-2007, aims to strengthen Haiti's government and to help it meet humanitarian needs. It is also aimed at "ensuring that authorities are better prepared in the event of natural disasters", said Joel Boutroue of the UN's Haiti mission.

"All indicators show that Haiti continues to be the poorest country in the northern hemisphere," Mr Boutroue told journalists.

Mr Boutroue, who is the UN's deputy special representative in Haiti, launched the appeal in Geneva.

He said the appeal had three main goals:

to address insecurity in Haiti's shanty towns

to improve the situation in rural areas and thus stem the exodus to the cities

to strengthen the capacity of the government”.

What happened with those goals? It’s been three years since then. Maybe this sad event make Haiti authorities to reflect that new models of decision-making in a group could be developed, with a great respect for individual opinions and necessities.

REFERENCES

Haiti was 'catastrophe waiting to happen' January 12th, 2010
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/12/haiti.earthquake.infrastructure/index.html
Haiti earthquake: Architects blame shoddy steel, concrete for destruction PTI, 19 January 2010, 12:56am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Haiti-earthquake-Architects-blame-shoddy-steel-concrete-for-destruction/articleshow/5474650.cms
The UN has made an appeal for $98m (£50.26m) to help Haiti's transition. Monday, 18 December 2006, 14:01 GMT. From news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6190305.stm

Mayan Stucco and Mysticism

Río Azul tomb. From Rio Azul Tomb. http://www.authenticmaya.com/images/Rioazul_tomb19.jpg

Mayan buildings lack of advanced technologies; the stones seem to be obtained from local quarries. Most often utilized was structural limestone which was easy enough to be worked with stone tools. Mortars applied both for construction and stucco finishing, consisted of crushed, burnt and mixed limestone with similar properties to the cement. Later on, improvements in quarrying techniques reduced the necessity for this limestone in combination with stucco; stones began to fit very well in structural elements as posts and lintel roofs. In common houses, wooden poles, adobe and thatch were the primary materials, being limestone in the second place, and eventually, bricks. When buildings were completed, the Mayans covered them with stucco (lime plus sand) to smooth any imperfection, on the walls and ceilings that were painted later. Decoration in relief molded in stucco, reached a high degree of perfection in Palenque, where an example of an admirable stucco sculpture, is the god of Death.

God of Death. From http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1123-the-maya-civilization-cities-of-the-maya

In march 2009, it was published the recent archaeological digs up in Guatemala. A monumental set of stucco panels was unearthed. It seems to depict one of the oldest creation myths in human history, the Popol Vuh, the main focus of Mayan religion. The myth precedes the Christian Genesis by several centuries.

“The panels describe how the ancient Mayan gods created the world and then sought to populate it with living creatures including “mud people” and “wooden people.” Their attempts in this direction failed, and they were not satisfied with what they had created. So, finally, the human race was brought into existence, and came to inhabit the region where El Mirador, the place where the digs have been made, now lies. Spanning several hundreds of thousands of acres all around is the Serpent Kingdom.

The scene, according to Richard Hansen, the Idaho State University professor that has detailed the find in an official release, is one that blends early aspects of Mayan beliefs with cosmology, thus making it unique. Until now, all known pieces of information on the Mayan saga have been collected from a single source, but the new pictures seem to date as back as 300 BC, which makes them older, and thus more reliable. The Mayan Late Preclassic period stretches from three centuries before Christ to the first century AD”.

Dr. Hansen was a consultant for actor and director Mel Gibson, for his movie “Apocalypto”.

Regardless Mayans’ constructions technology, mysticism was always involving their architecture. To illustrate it, I am reproducing here Mexican Architect Ignacio Gonzalez’s story ¨Renovación¨ about the preludes to the Mayan Fire Ceremony. Arch González is a former professor of architectural design at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Universidad Anáhuac, also  a great essayist and writer, author of the books "Arquitectura y Semiótica", "Análisis de Estructuras arquitectónicas. Resistencia de Materiales", "Guía, proceso y seguimiento de la problemática arquitectónoca. Manual para elaborar Tesis e investigaciones".In ¨Renovación¨, the narrator seems to be a young person who takes care of his offerings, following the directions of the old and experienced Tata (father) Hu Banhum. The ceremony’s ceramic vessels and plates invoking gods will be also used to configure a new floor.

Arch. Gonzalez explained to me that this is a fiction story but based in a real ancient ceremony. And the practice of adding fragments of plates and vessels to the mortars has been pretty common. I have preferred not to translate the story and leave it in the original Spanish, as González has the ability to write in the local dialects.

Structural materials, and religious practices are involved in the ceremony and in the architecture.

Mayan stucco in very good conditions. From http://www.gmcp.net/photo/honduras/honduras-Pages/Image48.html

Mayan stucco panel described by Dr. Hansen. From http://news.softpedia.com/news/Mayan-Stucco-Panels-Dug-Up-in-Guatemala-106722.shtml

Mayan jade burial mask. From http://www.precolumbianjade.com/images/maya.h51.jpg

Pakal mask, from Farm 4

Mayan stucco relief in the Museum at Palenque. http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/maya.htm

¨Cuando el cielo todavía estaba vacío, la casta sacerdotal Ah kin diseminó la semilla del sabio verdadero; sembró el maíz por todos los rincones, mismos que son purificados siempre que transcurren 4 veces 13 haab tunes o 52 años (que es lo mismo).

Tata Hu Banhum nació dos haab tunes antes de la última ceremonia del fuego nuevo; bueno, así le llaman los altos dignatarios del amurallado, porque nosotros, los que somos gente del pueblo, celebramos nuestro propio renacer o gran purificación.

Dice el tata Hu que casi no se acuerda de dichos festejos, pero como cada 13 hab tunes la tierra quiere dormirse y tenemos que hacerla despertar de nuevo, él es quien nos ha instruido a todos acerca de lo que debemos hacer en esta cuarto ciclo, dice que porque el dador de la vida ya lo instruyó.

En lo personal, yo ya adquirí dos platitos especiales para la ocasión; mientras que ma' Lijnaa ya tiene dispuesta toda la vajilla. Ella también ha recibido consejos, sobre todo de su hermana Joob Lij, ya que trabajó por un buen tiempo para una de las principales Señoras del palacio.

Para las limpias rituales dediqué 2 veces 20 lunas a preparar el temazcal cerquita del ojo de agua; sí, a lo que comúnmente le decimos chultún. Así, de este rincón del cielo al que nos debemos, brotará, como resultado de la molienda espesa y a través de nuestras pieles, un producto líquido como sudor lechoso originado en parte por el "preparado" del alucinante que durante 60 lunas nos es permitido ingerir, 30 antes y 29 después del gran torneo de la pelota.

Los Señores del amurallado son los únicos que pueden degustar esas sustancias inteligentes en cualquier época.

Lo mismo sucede con el estuco: sólo sacerdotes y altos dignatarios lo pueden aplicar en pisos y paredes. Nosotros debemos utilizar a lo mucho arena arcillosa.

Entonces, en las festividades, romperemos toda la vajilla e iremos mezclando todos los pedazos con la masa lodosa del nuevo piso. Por cierto, mis dos recipientes cerámicos invocan, uno a mi dios del viento y el otro, al de la fertilidad.

El rincón del barrio de los almendros se vestirá de místico por unos cuantos días, mientras que en el palacio amurallado se construirá el fuego nuevo que tanto ayudará a nuestras vidas¨.

Here, (left corner below) we see a recurring type of vessel. Sometimes vessels were used for ¨sangrías¨. This picture was sent to me by arch. Ignacio Gonzalez from http://www.planetasapiens.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Dintel15_Yaxchilan.jpg

REFERENCES
Tudor Vieru. Mayan Stucco Panels Dug Up in Guatemala. The remains shed new light on the ancient civilization. March 13, 2009
http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/maya.htm
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1123-the-maya-civilization-cities-of-the-maya
Look for arch. Ignacio Gonzalez´s narratives and poems:
http://imagenarro.ning.com/profiles/blogs/renovacion-1

Tipos Morfológicos Urbanos

Morella. http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/files/fotos/morella2.jpg

The following text is an excerpt of my scholarship of 2002, Urban Morphology and Fractal Design. In its original language.

Existen muchísimos tipos morfológicos, algunos producto de la influencia del medio-ambiente, otros relacionados con las características culturales de la población (por ejemplo los asentamientos africanos), otros derivados de la situación socio-económica, política, etc.

Sintéticamente, la estructura de un asentamiento o ciudad se puede atribuir a dos fenómenos:

1) El desarrollo del área por trayectorias

.- Trayectorias mínimas

.- Trayectorias directas

.- Sistema de desviaciones minimizadas

2) Su ocupación por moradores

.- Balsa de burbujas (empaquetamiento ajustado de superficies predefinidas)

.- Modelo de arena (conjuntos de pequeños volúmenes dispersos en el terreno)

Bologna: ejemplo de ciudad irregular. De http://melkot.com/mechanics/bologna-aerial.jpg

Ciudad lineal de Arturo Soria. De Wikipedia.org

Asentamiento africano. Esta agrupación dispersa es un modelo de arena

Villas en racimos (Cluster villages). De  http://www.treehugger.com/2008-02-27_111016-Treehugger-cluster-villages.jpg

La ciudad jardín de Hebenezer Howard, una estructura concéntrica de racimos. De http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Garden_City_Concept_by_Howard.jpg

New York. De www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/911-maps.html (geography and map division)

Palmanova. De http://www.paesionline.it/foto_italia/DD1889_palmanova_veduta_aerea.jpg

Sforzinda. La planta de la ciudad ideal de Sforzinda realizado por Filarete se presenta como un polígono estrellado que preludia lo que serán las ciudades fortificadas del XVI. Coloca torres en los ángulos y las puertas en los entrantes. Se puede apreciar el sistema de plazas secundarias en lo que serían las calles radiales, unidas a su vez por una calle circular. Constituye una de las propuestas teóricas más interesantes del urbanismo del Quattrocento. Párrafo e imagen de  http://www.artehistoria.jcyl.es/obrmaestras/jpg/FIS15760.jpg

Torre biónica, Shangai. Rosa Cervera y Javier Pioz son los autores de la Torre Biónica de Shangai, un gran rascacielos proyectado para alcanzar 1.228 metros de altura, que se recupera tras la crisis asociada al derrumbe de las Torres Gemelas. Se trata de una ciudad en vertical capaz de acoger a más de 100.000 personas. Párrafo e imagen de morenoymenacho.blogspot.com, 19 de diciembre 2008

Luego podemos establecer los siguientes tipos morfológicos generales:

· Radio concéntrico: la ciudad se forma alrededor de un centro-atractor. Ej. las ciudades medievales donde el centro es el Castillo o la Catedral. Ej. Morella (España)

· Racimo (cluster): presenta varios centros. A su vez, se subdivide en:

Ciudades concéntricas que emergen juntas

Pequeñas ciudades municipales que forman una constelación

Ciudades satelitales conectadas por líneas de transporte

En algunos casos, los distintos centros crecen hasta juntarse.

· Lineal: Se gestan a través de un recorrido principal lineal, con edificios dispuestos según la dirección principal; generalmente surgen de la influencia de alguna vía de comunicación de mayor tránsito, incluídas las márgenes de algunos ríos. En la Argentina hay varios asentamientos de forma lineal que responden a las vías del ferrocarril.

· Grilla: Su origen fueron las colonias militares; consisten en una cruce de calles ortogonales o cuasi ortogonales, como Buenos Aires y Nueva York.

· Irregular: no tienen forma definida, son anárquicas, producto de una decisión social. Ej. barriadas peruanas

· Edificio-ciudad: Concebido en los últimos años, en el ámbito de la hipertecnología; son edificios de muchísima altura, emplazados dentro de ciudades, con multifuncionalidad e infraestructura capaz de albergar una población. Como ejemplo citamos “La Torre Biónica” en Shangai, China: proyecto cuyo objetivo es proporcionar vivienda a la superpoblación; tendrá 300 pisos y será destinada a 100.000 personas; contendrá hoteles, oficinas, cines y hospitales. Paradójicamente, si tomamos la dimensión fractal de esta ciudad en el contexto de la ciudad que la alberga, sería 0.

· Simbólico: ciudades proyectadas según una idea simbólica; su forma surge del idealismo y difícilmente pueden ser analizadas por los datos físicos inmediatos, por criterios visuales o prácticos, ya que su razón es cósmica y metafísica. Ej. Pueblo Bonito, basado en un petroglifo relacionado con observaciones astronómicas; Sforzinda (proyectada en 1460) y Palmanova (construída en 1593) donde la forma circular y las calles concéntricas responden al orden cósmico, a la forma esférica de creación divina que además es el emblema de su Artífice.

En la ciudad actual se produce una yuxtaposición de varios esquemas.
Lea sobre la dura crítica del libro The Grid Book

http://theclubofcompulsivereaders.blogspot.com/2010/04/grid-book-why-this-book-is-highly.html

Notes About Origins of Cities

Jericho. From http://www.biblearchaeology.org/image.axd?picture=Picture-1-Walls-of-Jericho.jpg

From msnbc.msn.com today: Egypt said Tuesday that its archaeologists have unearthed a Ptolemaic-era temple dating back more than 2,000 years, that may have been dedicated to the ancient cat goddess, Bastet.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities said the temple's ruins were discovered in the heart of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the seat of the dynasty founded by Alexander The Great in the 4th century B.C., that ended with the suicide of Cleopatra 300 years later. The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century B.C.”

Bastet statue. From msn.com/

And from Lewis Mumford, we read that “The earliest ruins recognizable as cities usually disclose only the original dominants, the temple and the palace, sometimes the granary, within the walled citadel or sacred precinct. This was the activating nucleus in the urban implosion. The only complete early “cities” of permanent materials are the “ cities of the dead”, such as that at Saqqarah built around the step pyramid tomb of Zoser (upper), c. 2700-2650. Since the Egyptians took pains in their tombs to reproduce in miniature all the necessary facilities for daily life, there is good reason, many Egyptian scholars believe, to suppose that this mortuary “city” reproduced with equal faithfulness the layout and buildings of its secular counterpart”….

Pyramid of Zoser. From members.virtualtourist.com/m/6afa9/1e9417/

Mumford also states that “the ceremonious burial of the dead in graves marked by a cairn, a tree or a tall rock, formed perhaps the first permanent meeting place for the living: the home of the ancestral spirits, the shrine of a god, the embryon of a city. Like the grave, the cave is a womb to which primitive man returns for security and secrecy….” According to him, Egypt and Mesopotamia bring out significant alternatives to urban evolution, beginning in a few river valleys: the Nile, the Tigris-Euphrates, the Indus and the Hwang Ho. And they are based on: ceremonial meetings and temples. This transformation of small villages into cities was not a mere change of size and scale: it was a change of direction and purpose manifested in a new type of organization were rivers were the first highroads, once boats were invented.

REFERENCES
Mumford, Lewis. The City in History. 1979. New York.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34935739/ns/technology_and_science-science/

READ MORE

"Las ruinas de ciudades, palacios y barcos de la era faraónica y grecorromana yacen conservados en los alrededores de Alejandría, uno de los lugares de excavación más ricos del Mediterráneo.

Los restos del templo, de 60 metros de altura y 15 de ancho, son la primera muestra de la ubicación del barrio real de Alejandría, dijo Mohamed Abdel Maqsud, que dirigió la excavación arqueológica. ..."

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1223873&origen=NLCien

Expresiones Religiosas de Chicanos en Los Angeles: del cuerpo a las calles

This paper has been selected for the Symposium of Arquitectura Religiosa in Ourense, España, November 12,13 and 14. It´s in the original Spanish language.

http://www.arquitecturareligiosa.es/informacion.html

LA EXPRESIÓN ARTÍSTICA: PRÉSTAMOS Y DIVERGENCIAS ENTRE RELIGIONES COHABITANTES.

ABSTRACT

Fig. 1.Interior de vivienda. Imágenes aztecas y el crucifijo conviven en una pared. Archivo personal.Picture by Myriam Mahiques

Fig.2. La Virgen y Santos son expuestos sobre el fireplace, que se cubre con un espejo. Véase debajo las flores y velas ofrecidas. Archivo personal. Picture by Myriam Mahiques

The third space or "Nepantla" applies to the culture of the Mexican immigrants in USA and their descendants popularly called Chicanos. When the native being recovers, Nepantla becomes a psychological, spiritual and political space, where the Chicanos find a meaning to its culture by means of the recovery of ancestral habits.

This way, the religious space goes from the corporal artistic manifestations, to the materialization of traditional altars inside houses and it extends to the urban scale, in the cult to the dead and the Catholic rites in the streets, imbued of Catholic and pagan imaginary that harmoniously cohabit and are reasons of massive congregations.

Here we propose to analyze the religious expressions of the Chicanos as indispensable part of their social reality in the city of Los Angeles, exposed in all possible scales that for their own restrictive colonial origins, do not require a building, but rather they are sustained in pure faith.

Fig.3.Altar doméstico. Archivo personal. Picture by Myriam B. Mahiques

Fig.4. Altar del Día de los Muertos en un restaurante en Olvera St. La Virgen se exhibe dos veces. Archivo personal. Picture by Myriam Mahiques

INTRODUCCIÓN

Dentro de los espacios representacionales, de complejos simbolismos y generalmente relacionados con el lado clandestino de la vida, hemos de proponer una sub-clasificación: el tercer espacio o “Nepantla”, que aplica a la cultura de los inmigrantes mexicanos en EEUU y sus descendientes llamados popularmente chicanos.

Ellos generan este nuevo espacio desde el sentimiento de ¨estar en medio de”, como unión cultural entre los anglos, mexicanos e indígenas.

¨Nepantla¨ es considerado como una fase transicional que comienza sencillamente con el idioma. Una de las estrategias de afianzamiento cultural es justamente el proceso de transculturación y transferencia de valores, resumiéndose en una cultura diferente que refleja la ambigüedad del mestizaje. Una vez que las tensiones de Nepantla son entendidas y confrontadas, el Ser/Yo nativo se recupera, y Nepantla se vuelve así un espacio psicológico, espiritual y político, donde los chicanos encuentran un significado a su cultura mediante la recuperación de lo ancestral.

Es así como el espacio religioso va desde las manifestaciones artísticas corporales, hasta la materialización de tradicionales altarcitos en las viviendas y se extiende hasta la escala urbana, en el culto a los muertos y los ritos católicos en las calles, imbuidos de imaginarios católico y pagano que conviven armónicamente y son motivo de congregaciones masivas.

Hemos de analizar entonces, las expresiones religiosas de los chicanos como parte imprescindible de su realidad social en la ciudad de Los Angeles, expuestas en todas las escalas posibles, que por sus propios orígenes coloniales restrictivos no requieren de un edificio contenedor, sino que se sustentan en la pura fe.

ORIGEN DEL IMAGINARIO CHICANO

La imagen está atada al espacio; sin embargo, las imágenes Aztecas han sido desde un principio erróneamente contextualizadas en el medioambiente medieval latino de creencias populares y terror, lo que ha devenido en falsas categorizaciones. Fernández de Oviedo, en sus Crónicas Indias, expresaba su consternación ante la proliferación de ¨imágenes infernales¨:

¨En Terra Firma no solo ellos (los indios) toman placer en poner estas diabólicas y perversas imágenes de sus ídolos de oro, piedra, madera y tierra, sino que las reproducían en tatuajes, en la joyería, sobre los muebles, en sus casas, en todos los lugares que los nativos pudieran.¨(traducción personal. Images at War, S. Gruzinski, p.20)

Este escenario idoloclástico no podía ser separado del proyecto Cortesiano, fundado en la piedad Ibérica. La fijación de estos ¨viejos cristianos¨ con las imágenes se reforzó con la Reconquista. Los conquistadores desembarcaron con coloridas imágenes celestiales esculpidas, entre volúmenes arquitectónicos de ¨nuevas¨ organizaciones espaciales y, sin haber podido confirmar la no existencia de la divinidad autóctona por medio de la substitución y la destrucción absoluta, la persistencia de la ambigüedad del imaginario fue permitida, llevándose a cabo destrucciones parciales, intercambios, sustituciones y asociaciones entre divinidades de ambos universos, hasta conformar un nuevo imaginario como expresión no hablada de los principios organizativos del universo, reproducidos por doquier.

Las instituciones nativas fueron condenadas, mientras que las que los sacerdotes imponían eran aún extrañas e incomprensibles. En consecuencia, los nativos se encontraron en un estado Medio, (Nepantla). Los ritos paganos eran incluídos en festivales cristianos, especialmente el de la Ascensión y el del Espíritu Santo, que coincidían en fechas con otras fiestas indígenas.

Fig.5. Virgen y ángel al frente de una vivienda. Archivo personal. Picture by Myriam B. Mahiques

Comienza la procesión de la Virgen de Guadalupe en Los Angeles Downtown. http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/12/19/magazine/24catholics.1.html

RELIGIOSIDAD EN LA DOMESTICIDAD

Si bien, el escenario idoloclástico se fundó en las calles y edificios públicos, también ha tenido cabida en las viviendas chicanas, desde tiempos históricos.

La mayor parte de los mexicanos que arribaron a USA en los 1910, aún consideraban a los sacerdotes locales de sus villas de procedencia como la máxima autoridad. Estos inmigrantes pobres no tenían mucha noción de su nacionalidad o de su país, pero al vivir en USA, aprendieron inmediatamente lo que la Madre Patria significaba. De allí que dieron un lugar de honor para sus héroes mexicanos, construyendo altares con sus fotos en sus casas, incluyendo la bandera mexicana y dando así al patriotismo una nueva cualidad religiosa.

La adoración indígena no estaba limitada a la figura antropomórfica. La represión y la sabiduría popular, los condujo a cohabitar entre objetos de apariencia inconspicua, pero a los que se les atribuía presencia divina. Estos objetos, son muy familiares para nosotros el día de hoy, y aún se los encuentra dentro de las casas chicanas en California: flores (originalmente ofrecidas a Camaxtle (dios de la fecundidad); piedras con forma de corazón (el corazón arrancado a las víctimas en los sacrificios); espejos (con la propiedad de ¨hablar¨), entre otros.

Es debatible si estos objetos eran ¨en memoria de¨ o un ¨objeto de la memoria¨ el cual era adorado.

Hasta el momento, la acumulación de objetos-imágenes y su significativa disposición en una casa chicana persiste, y pueden ser considerados excesivos y confusos si los aspectos históricos que originaron este modelo espacial no son considerados. Tomar a los objetos en sí mismos, separados de sus contextos, sería un serio error.

La saturación actual del espacio doméstico en viviendas chicanas está íntimamente asociada a la producción pictorial Barroca de fines del SXVI y el arribo de los pintores europeos a México.

En interiores domésticos, las imágenes aztecas, aún coexisten con las de la Virgen de Guadalupe, entre cruces y Jesucristos –en una clara manifestación de Nepantla- y no faltarán las flores, recuerdos, sillones con tapizados florales, fotos, estatuillas, etc. Entendemos que la comunidad, aún dividida en grupos cristianos y católicos pero de gran fe, ha perdido el entendimiento del significado original del objeto, sin embargo, los objetos siguen expuestos como en los primeros tiempos, conteniendo un valor emocional que la memoria colectiva les ha asignado. Si el objeto es religioso, se cree que es capaz de emanar poder y garantizar respuestas a las plegarias. (Fig 1-2) Así, el objeto se ha transformado en un símbolo, un código de ideas que difícilmente pueda ser transmitida en palabras. Cabe aclarar que este fenómeno se da en clases sociales altas y bajas por igual, y la diferencia reside en el costo de los objetos.

La indumentaria y tejidos también son una reflexión de la identidad y religiosidad. Las ropas típicas de las fiestas se cubren de bordados, indistintamente sean femeninas o masculinas; las mesas se cubren de telas bordadas, las camas, los sillones y cortinas con grandes estampados, donde el tópico favorito son las flores y la divinidad. Luego, la iconografía es estampada en las telas, y luego pasa de las telas al cuerpo humano cubierto a su vez de joyería y tatuajes, donde el tema principal es recurrente, la Virgen, Jesús y/o figuras aztecas.

LA EVOLUCIÓN DEL ALTAR DOMÉSTICO

En el siglo XIX dos facciones se levantaron en la iglesia católica en México y Texas: sacerdotes que despreciaron a los Chicanos por sus tradiciones religiosas y, aquellos que por el contrario, trabajaron en la comunidad ofreciendo su ayuda. Esta situación indefinida, causó que los chicanos interpretaran al catolicismo en sus propios términos. La tradición no sancionada fue redefinida dentro de las casas, con la realización de altares. Con la combinación de crucifijos, estatuas de la Virgen María, Jesucristo y los santos protectores, entre los cuadros de los miembros extintos de la familia, más los objetos asociados a ellos o de su pertenencia, el altar en el hogar chicano rinde honor a la familia y conecta a los vivos y los muertos.

El altar del día de los muertos es una variante del altar doméstico. El día de los muertos es una celebración en todo México y California, el 2 de Noviembre. Es un culto de honor a la memoria de los miembros de la familia que han partido. La ceremonia es relacionada con el calendario agrícola prehispánico. Las familias construyen altares en sus hogares, cementerios y plazas, exponiendo las fotos de sus muertos, junto con los íconos religiosos y otras alegorías, como comida cocida y simbólicas calaveritas de azúcar. Uno de los elementos claves en la composición es el uso del papel picado, que deriva de la práctica azteca del uso de carteles de papel en conexión con importantes ritos religiosos. (Fig. 3-4)

CONCLUSIONES

El espacio interior se continúa en el porch, el patio cover, la galería, hasta fundirse en el jardín. Desde allí, el imaginario culmina en las calles, en las paredes de los negocios, los altares en las esquinas, los pasacalles y estatuas procesionales....(Fig. 5-6).

La Virgen sigue siendo la imagen de predilección, seguida por los ángeles frente a las viviendas o en ¨hornacillas¨ entre la flora típica de México.

Las celebraciones y prácticas religiosas descriptas, si bien dentro de un espíritu católico, son en realidad una mezcla de creencias pre-colombinas que se basan en el concepto que sólo la carne decae, pero no el alma. La vida y la muerte son vistas en una unidad, en un ciclo infinito; la ofrenda es una manifestación filosófica de la aceptación de la muerte como parte integral del ciclo de la vida que distingue a la cultura mexicana.

En este contexto, el mexicano residente en Los Angeles y sus descendientes, no necesitan realmente de un edificio religioso donde expresar sus devociones, el nuevo medio, ¨Nepantla¨ surge como una rehabilitación desde la ocupación colonial para su supervivencia psico-religiosa.

La devoción se despliega incluso en los medios de comunicación, que ensalzan el culto Guadalupano. Esta producción masiva que se inició a mediados del S. XVI tenía un límite, desde que las imágenes no eran permitidas en lugares sucios o profanos. Un límite que fue olvidado al paso del tiempo y se abrió al comercio de baratijas; la proliferación de objetos-imágenes se ha convertido en el encanto de la comercialización masiva y la estética del día de hoy; se constituyó en una expresión del grupo étnico y se ha vuelto inseparable de la espacialidad arquitectónica, exponiéndose, como Oviedo decía en sus Crónicas, en todos los lugares posibles. Soslayando las diferencias, pues ahora no luchan con viejos demonios....

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

Deverell, William. Whitewashed Adobe. The Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of its Mexican Past. University of California Press. USA. 2004
Espinoza, Gaston. History and Theory in the Study of Mexican American Religions. Chapter 3. On line
http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/phil-rlst/PDF/MexicanAmericanHistoriography.pdf
Gagnier Mendoza, Mary Jane. Día de los Muertos: The dead come to life in Mexican folk art. En México Connect. On line.
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/mjmendoza/mjmdiadelasmuertos.html
Gruzinski, Serge. Images at War. Mexico from Columbus to Blade Runner. EEUU. Duke University Press. 2001
Schildkrout, Enid. Body Art as Visual Language. Artículo 8, en Annual Editions, Anthropology. 2006/2007. Pág. 56-59. Edición 28º Mc Graw Hill Contemporary Learning Series, EEUU.

Social-Urban-Anthropological Issues In District 9

A shot from District 9. From http://apocalypticmovies.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/district_9-movie.jpg

In January 2010, I watched the Science Fiction movie District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp. The plot summaries I’ve found are pretty similar, focused on the extraterrestrial comics side of the movie, not emphasizing the social human –and not human-, anthropological, urban issues, that could happen anywhere, anytime.

Kenneth Chisholm writes: “In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends”. 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/plotsummary

The following synopsis is from rotten tomatoes: 
It's been 28 years since the aliens made first contact, but there was never any attack from the skies, nor any profound technological revelation capable of advancing our society. Instead, the aliens were treated as refugees. They were the last of their kind, and in order to accommodate them, the government of South Africa set up a makeshift home in District 9 as politicians and world leaders debated how to handle the situation. As the humans begin to grow wary of the unwelcome intruders, a private company called Multi-National United (MNU) is assigned the task of controlling the aliens. But MNU is less interested in the aliens' welfare than attempting to understand how their weaponry works. Should they manage to make that breakthrough, they will receive tremendous profits to fund their research. Unfortunately, the highly advanced weaponry requires alien DNA in order to be activated. When MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is exposed to biotechnology that causes his DNA to mutate, the tensions between the aliens and the humans intensifies. Wikus is the key to unlocking the alien's technology, and he quickly becomes the most wanted man on the planet. Ostracized and isolated, Wikus retreats to District 9 in a desperate bid to shake his dogged pursuers.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/district_9/

Lance Winslow, writes in a more professional tone, an appreciation of the slum, overpopulation and relocation of the aliens “One interesting thing about the movie is the aliens are put into a slum like area, reminiscent of the Kibera Slum in Nairobi Kenya. There is trash everywhere, raw sewage pits, and the aliens are treated as bad or worse than the most despicable examples of humanity, in the worst urban slums in the world. When the movie starts out there are 1.2 million aliens stuck in a slum. The movie takes place in Johannesburg South Africa, and the locals in the nearby city want the slum to be removed, and all of the aliens taken to a giant tent city, similar to the ones that are made by the UN, after a major Mother Nature natural disaster. Of course to move all the aliens, they must first evict them, and get them to sign a piece of paper. Interestingly enough, the aliens have no idea what they are signing or why, not to mention that groups meet them at the door with machine guns. In many ways, the movie speaks to humanity's inability to deal with the slum problems, and by the end of the movie there are 2.6 million aliens, which need to be moved, so, in essence District 9 is actually more of an allegory of many of the major problems in the world, as much as it is an alien science-fiction flick. (Lance Winslow. What the Movie "District 9" Says About the World's Urban Slums. 
http://ezinearticles.com

The eviction of the prawns. From 

http://www.seanax.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/district-9-movie.jpg

Wikus struggling to save his arm (his life) from cannibalism. From http://www.filmjunk.com/

From Wikipedia.org I’ve learnt that the story was adapted from “Alive in Joburg”, a 2005 short film also directed by Blomkamp. The title and premise of District 9 were inspired by events that took place in District Six, Cape Town during the apartheid.

For those who like action-science fiction movies, I’d ask to pay special attention to the anthropological- social themes brought up here (among others):

.- The massive arrival of refugees to a foreign country, in desperate conditions.

.- The immediate attention that has to be provided, food and housing.

.- The overpopulation in a few years with the consequence of a growing slum in very bad conditions.

.- The problem of identity and race; discrimination.

.- The segregated people become segregators.

.- The feelings of xenophobia (Terror of the unknown)

.- The abortion (who has the right to dictate it?)
.- Genetic manipulation

.- A revival of old practices, a revival of cannibalism to acquire the enemy’s power.

.- Expropriation, evictions by force. (Imagine the analogy, Spanish conquerors reading in the old Castilian the Indians’ rights….)

.- Loss of rights (It doesn’t matter, human, no human).

.- Language, communication, understanding between races.

.- Symbolism of social rank and “identity” by food. Prawns love “cat food”, like animals, and trash.

Slum. From http://www.xorosho.com

By the way, “prawns” means king crickets up to three inches long (7.5 cm.) that could develop into a plague. “it has enough body mass to shake off most household insecticides--the first shot just makes it more jumpy. Worst of all, when threatened, it empties its bowels of a noxious black effluvium that disgusts predators and people alike”. (From countdown.org). The black effluvium is shown in the movie as vomit. The analogy between plague-refugees-prawns is almost literal.

Though the movie was acclaimed, “the Nigerian government was deeply offended by the film. Information Minister Dora Akunyili asked movie theatres around the country to either ban the film or edit out specific references to the country, because of the film's negative depiction of the Nigerian characters as criminals and cannibals. Letters of complaint were sent to the producer and distributor of the film demanding an apology”. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9

Three definitions of cannibalism (dictionary.com) are: the eating of human flesh by another human being; the ceremonial eating of human flesh or parts of the human body for magical or religious purposes, as to acquire the power or skill of a person recently killed; the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of its own kind.

If we strictly follow the definitions, we cannot say that Nigerians were practicing cannibalism, as they ate flesh of non humans. What is confusing is that prawns were, at first, treated as another “race”, and then, they were considered animals, species. When Wikus is under a genetic process that will convert him into a prawn, Nigerians do not see him as human any more. It is a delicate matter and I can understand Mrs. Akunyili’s concern, not many people would see these subtleties and there will be an immediate mental connection between the terms “Nigerians-cannibals”.

I liked the movie, I’d certainly watch a second part. It also reminded me Isaac Asimov’s social stories, though based on robots, discrimination, battles, riots, identity, urbanism, are subjects always present in Asimov’s novels.

What is Needed to Open a Retail in California?

Retail in L.A., picture by Camilo Vergara

I love this picture, Mexican folk art is always exposed on retails walls in Los Angeles.

The reason of this post is to warn people about what is needed when they rent a retail and want to open a new business. The typical case, the retail is rented, the tenant begins the remodel works, the inspector comes and everything is on hold until new plans are approved. Sometimes, the surprise is that the new business can´t be approved, for different reasons. The procedures could vary in every City, same for the consideration of parkings, storages, etc.

First thing to find out in the City Hall

1) Is the new use allowed per Zoning Code?

2) Is extra parking needed?

These are the most important questions. If the new business is food/medical related, more assigned parking is required. Usually, owners and managers do not specify, -in small malls for example-, how many parkings each tenant has the right to use. There must be a plot plan showing all the parkings and the uses of each retail. A planner will decide if they are OK.

3) Does the mall have handicap parkings/facilities?

If not, or if there are facilities but they are not upgraded to the current Code, the City has the right to ask for the 20% of the tenant´s budget to apply to handicap improvements. Who pays for the improvements, it´s an issue between the tenant and the owner.

4) Does the mall/retail have gas-electricity connection and what are the sizes of meters-panels?

Suppose you want to convert a clothes retail into a frozen yogurt/restaurant; machines are needed and if the panel is 100Amp, maybe is not enough. The main panel in the mall has to be able to allow the upgrade of the subpanel. If not, call Edison and find out the possibilities.

5) If it is food facility, the equipment could vary if the food is prepared on site or if it is gotten in packages.

Usually it is needed: three compartments sink, preparation sink, hand sink/s, mop sink, water heater (usually 52 gallons min), air curtain, the specific machines/equipment and utensils for the business. And a dry storage, mín 96 linear feet, approx. 100 sq. ft.

6) Is it needed a grease interceptor? Usually, yes. Depending on the food and cleaning, maybe a waiver from Water Company could be obtained. If the gravity interceptor is required (always in the City of Downey), be prepared for a huge one outside, even if you want to prepare coffee with sweet bread..... 

7) What about the bathrooms? Of course, handicap bathrooms. Two bathrooms min. for men and women are required if there is expenditure of alcohol. Public cannot access to the bathrooms through the preparation area. If the bathrooms are outside the retail, there must be a walkable distance of 200´, it varies.

8) Equipment: do not import cheaper if it has not the stamps required per Health Department. Minimum requirement, NSF approved. Cut sheets with complete specifications must be attached to plans.

9) Flooring, coves, finishes: must be approved by the City and Health dep.

10) Fire safety: it depends on the business, the area of the retail, etc.

11) Air conditioning. The existing could be kept if it complies with the mechanical calculations. Sometimes, depending on the weight of the equipment on the roof, a brief structural calculation is required.

12) For retail remodels, demolitions: details (architectural and structural) must be provided for Building and Safety.

13) Depending on the remodel, Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical plans and calculations must be submitted, all of them with wet signature and stamp of a licensed engineer.

14) In all cases, even with the plans approved, the inspector has the right to ask for something else, specially if the field condition is different from what has been shown on plans. Remember, some issues can´t be seen until the contractor opens the drywall.

15) No construction works are allowed until permits are paid. For commercial, a licensed contractor must be  hired, (with insurance) he is the one to take out the plans from the City, after the owner has paid the permits. Take into account, minimum term for Health Dep. plans´ revisions is 21 business days. Then, corrections are released and must be complied. Plans can be submitted at the same time in all the departments, but Health Department approval is mandatory to approve Building and Safety. Considering this, the tenants should have an arrangement of a certain period without paying rent. Two months would be pretty good, not perfect. Rent is paid while the contractor is working, I mean desperately working to open on time.

Of course there are more items, like ADA Code drawings (handicap). The problem I see, is that tenants who go to the City to ask for information, are told ¨a small plan like this is needed¨. And they show them a small standard print of a floor plan. It´s a lie. A small print with minimum information is only possible when the retail is keeping the same layout, and same type of business. And a change of business license is required plus the business´ fictituous name registration.

Some designers do not tell the owners about this, mostly in Los Angeles. They offer a minimum fee for a floor plan, when corrections come, they do not pick up the telephone any more.

I hope this post will be helpful.