During the 1600's and 1700's, the baroque, a new style, arrived from Europe. It spread throughout Latin America. The baroque style featured lavish decoration and dramatic effects. It inspired new ways of expressing the blend of the native and European heritages.
Latin American builders modified the baroque style to suit the environment of the New World. Areas plagued by earthquakes needed thicker walls. Tropical regions required wood ceilings to provide better ventilation. Other regional traits were painted plaster and tile work, as well as lavishly decorated facades (fronts) and interiors. Builders in coastal areas followed European baroque models closely. Indian and local influences grew stronger in the more isolated inland cities. Similarly, cathedrals and parish churches tended to be plain. Churches built by religious orders reflected in their splendor the monks' efforts to capture the imagination of the native peoples.
In New Spain, the somber European style of the Cathedral of Mexico City was abandoned in smaller urban centers. In these places, more expressive styles took hold. For example, brightly colored plasterwork covers the interior of the magnificent Rosary Chapel in the Monastery Church of Santo Domingo in Puebla, Mexico. In New Granada, native influence was weaker. Baroque building styles were more closely linked with those of Europe. The Church of the Jesuits in Quito, Ecuador, was built following Italian models for the plan and facade. But the interior shows a strong Arabic influence in the geometric patterns of its stucco decoration. This decoration is also an example of the use of gold ornamentation on red background, characteristic of Quito artists.
Baroque architecture of the viceroyalty of Peru had special modifications designed to withstand earthquakes. These included cane-and-wood roofing known as quincha and the use of thick old Inca walls for the foundations of buildings. In the Church of the Jesuits in Cuzco, two flanking bell towers protect the facade from tremors. Their massiveness is balanced by elegant decoration.
Unlike Peru, Brazil is not threatened by earthquakes. Baroque architects there did not have to design quake-proof buildings. Thus they were free to experiment with more inventive forms. An interesting regional style developed in Minas Gerais, a wealthy gold-mining area. Several churches were built in Ouro Prêto, a city in the region. One, the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário (1785), shows the typical tendency of that region toward curving forms. In Bahia, the capital of the viceroyalty of Brazil, facades were patterned after Portuguese models. But interiors, such as that of Bahia's cathedral, exploded in dazzling displays of gold decoration.