The Amazonian Architecture and Challenges Faced in Socio-Spatial Transformation Processes—Shuar and Achuar, Ecuador

Abstract

This article explores the ties between vernacular architecture, culture and identity in a context of sociocultural change in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The text addresses the loss of a collective cultural identity from a historical, socio-spatial and descriptive perspective. Beliefs and traditions act as a “social glue“ uniting societies around common values, goals and norms, whose disappearance could cause this society to veer off course or to even become fragmented. Fieldwork carried out further supports these data, showcasing cultural changes which are worsened by globalization and contribute to the erosion of common beliefs. Although challenging, this also provides the opportunity to reassess values in search of new forms of local identity and significance. The article highlights the fragmentation between tradition and the beliefs concerning settlements which had been introduced by colonization through an understanding of construction processes and their spatial logic. The transformation of socio-spatial dynamics highlights the challenges faced by the Amazon, as well as attempts to strike a balance between tradition and progresses, without neglecting environmental culture or integrity due to the pressures of globalization. Therefore, understanding the different relationship systems found within a given ecosystem can provide clues on how to aid their preservation.