School of Architecture Collaborates with LLILAS at World Heritage Site in Mexico
- Jan 8, 2025
In an immersive, weeklong research trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, architecture and landscape architecture students from The University of Texas at Austin explored the intersections between cultural and natural heritage as they developed designs for a visitor center at the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán World Heritage Site.
During their visit, the students visited the archeological sites of Monte Albán and Mitla as well as the 16th-century monastery of Santo Domingo. They also met with Indigenous community members and attended a lecture by the visitor center project organizer to understand the importance of cultural preservation. Following this, the students worked on their central project of creating a living pavilion to serve as the visitor center for the site.
Part of the 2024 Fall Advanced Studio led by Associate Professor Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla, this experiential opportunity was made possible through sponsorship by the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS).
LLILAS, whose mission is to improve knowledge and understanding of Latin America, maintains a longstanding collaboration with the UT School of Architecture. Together, they share a dual degree in Latin American Studies and Community and Regional Planning and have jointly developed numerous student and faculty projects.
The UT School of Architecture has more faculty focused on Latin America than any other architecture school in the country, and several of its faculty members hold associate roles at LLILAS. Ibarra-Sevilla, the school’s Advanced Studies program director and associate professor of architecture and historic preservation, also serves as LLILAS’ associate director of research initiatives.
“LLILAS’ support speaks to its commitment to fostering collaboration at the university level, and it underscores the School of Architecture's dedication to integrating Latin America into the scholarship we develop here,” said Ibarra-Sevilla about the collaboration.
By fostering connections between students, faculty, and communities across borders, and partnering with LLILAS, the School of Architecture continues to lead in integrating Latin America into its scholarship and design practices.
Learn more about this project at the School of Architecture website.
