Ceará's colonial architecture: environment, project and memory

Abstract

The present work aims at elucidating the strategies developed by early Ceará's architecture to soften harsh weather conditions, as well as the material means used for this purpose. We sought to describe and evaluate this heritage in terms of its relation with weather conditions with focus on the historical site of Icó, which consists mainly of XVIII century buildings dating from the period of effective State territory occupation, with the creation of the first villages. Other constructions built in the XIX and XX centuries were also considered, provided they kept architectonic and building features typical of the XVIII century. In this way, we tried to understand how Lusitanian architectonic and urban models adapted to the regional climate and how local materials and techniques were used.