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The survival of Gothic rib vaulting in the Viceroyalty of Peru represents a significant chapter in the construction history of Spanish colonial architecture. Archival records indicate this building technology was brought to colonial Peru in the mid-sixteenth century by European architects seeking solutions for the construction of masonry vaults over the monumental spaces of church naves and chapels. Among the challenging factors were the level of expertise of the master builders, availability of construction materials and the training of an indigenous labor force unfamiliar with European building methods. Even though no examples from this early period survive, extant buildings from the seventeenth century in the small northern coastal towns of Guadalupe and Saña show how the colonial architects were successful in overcoming these limitations to create designs of extraordinary beauty.
Motivated by structural considerations rather than stylistic preferences, the choice of Gothic rib vaulting was favored for anti-seismic reasons as determined by the consensus of a council of architects, which met in Lima following the earthquake of 1609 to discuss the best structural method for the reconstruction of the masonry vaults of the Cathedral that had collapsed. Construction of the present building had begun in 1598 with plans by Francisco Becerra (1545-1605), the famous Spanish architect who had previously worked in Mexico City and Puebla, Mexico and Quito, Ecuador. The eastern end, including the capilla mayor , had just opened for worship when an earthquake in 1606 severely damaged the vaults, a condition that was only aggravated in 1609. The arguments put forth by the leading architects contained in the 'Autos y pareceres en razón del daño que hizo en la Iglesia Mayor desta Ciudad de los Reyes el temblor de 19 de octubre del año 1609 y el remedio que se debe tener para la continuación de la obra' ['Records of the proceedings concerning the opinions of the master builders for the restoration of the Cathedral of Lima following the earthquake of 19 October, 1609 and the remedy which must be taken to continue the work'] preserved in the Archivo del Cabildo Eclesiástico of Lima (ACEL, 1609) offer a unique insight on architectural theory and practice at the time.
Of special interest in this context are the opinions advanced by Juan Martínez de Arrona...