Patagonia

FERNANDO WILLIAMS

Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World 2nd Edition

Bloomsbury Publishing

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2021;

Patagonia - a territory of about 315.000 square miles - forms the southern tip of South America stretching from 38 to 52 degrees latitude South. On its western side, the Andes mountain range runs vertically, almost its entire length in a north-south direction, turning west-east when approaching Tierra del Fuego. The Andes are much more than a physical barrier, since they define very different topographic and climatic features for the narrow western strip and for the larger territory located to the east. On the one hand, a geography marked by a mountainous relief and a humid climate where lush forests and mighty rivers stand out that flow into deep fjords along the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, a series of plateaus that descend in stages towards the Atlantic Ocean and that give shape to a predominantly arid landscape where some river valleys stand out with relatively fertile soils. These characteristics and the different available resources derived from them must be weighed when studying settlements and vernacular constructions.