Abstract
Abstract. Ecuador is blessed by the presence of age-old buildings and places that deserve to be preserved. One of these places is Susudel, whose historical center was declared Cultural Heritage of Ecuador in 2013. One of the most emblematic buildings in the province of Azuay is located here, the chapel of Susudel. This chapel, which belongs to a large estate, is an example of colonial architecture in which traditional construction techniques and materials have been used, such as adobe, bricks, wood and roof tiles. This ancestral knowledge typical of vernacular heritage architecture deserves to be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. This investigation shows several constructive elements that give a special technological value to the chapel. The interior of the chapel contains a significant sample of murals, which constitute a religious symbol of the colonial era. The aim of this investigation is to establish conservation strategies through the identification of stakeholders, roles, maintenance actions and maintenance tools that result in a preventive conservation and monitoring plan for the chapel. The methodology used is based on the preventive conservation phases as proposed by ICOMOS 2003: anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy and control, which is complemented by recommendations that include the active participation of the community and institutions responsible for the conservation of built heritage.
Highlights
Earthen architecture corresponds to one of the most used construction systems worldwide
According to CRAterre (Gandreau, et al, 2012), around 150 world heritage sites of the total listed by UNESCO correspond to earthen architecture and the majority of them (26%) are located in Latin America
3.1.1 Heritage and architectural values: The Chapel of Susudel is located in the province of Azuay, belonging to the canton of Oña and is located in its only rural parish, Susudel. (Figure 1) The chapel was completed in the year 1752 and forms part of the Susudel Estate
Summary
Earthen architecture corresponds to one of the most used construction systems worldwide. In Ecuador, earthen architecture has been around since the pre-Inca era, through the colonial and the republican era, up until now, especially in the Andes region The province in this region with the second largest number of adobe buildings is Azuay (Garcia, et al, 2016). It is observed that from various theoretical perspectives, conservation promotes preventive actions with different scopes, which all foment measures that are aimed at preserving the meaning and the physical properties of the heritage item. Several monuments and sites in Ecuador are at risk for different reasons, such as abandonment, poorly executed interventions and lack of maintenance This investigation focuses on one of the most emblematic monuments in the province of Azuay in the south of the Ecuadorian Andes, the Chapel of Susudel.
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