Concealed Gazes the Closed Balconies of Lima and How They Affected Women’S Relationship to the Public Space and Public Sphere
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CONCEALED GAZES THE CLOSED BALCONIES OF LIMA AND HOW THEY AFFECTED WOMEN’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE PUBLIC SPACE AND PUBLIC SPHERE Introduction balcony originated in the architecture of the Indus Valley and Sumeria, in modern-day [Pakistan and Historically, city space has been gendered in a Irak], which was assimilated by Seljuq Turks in the way that the public realm is perceived as unequiv- eleventh century. From there, the Turks spread its ocally male (Ruddick, 1996). This is a realm where use throughout the Muslim territories in the be- women have been either excluded or allowed ginning of the twelfth century, and then through restricted access to, mainly through spatial ele- the Muslims’ conquest of Hispania it reached the ments that regulate and control their gaze of and Iberian Peninsula by the end of the same century. access to the public space, while also controlling Finally, in the sixteenth century, the historic His- and regulating who can look at or have access to pano-Arabic use of the closed balcony arrived to them (Ruddick, 1996; Mazumdar and Mazumdar, America with the Spaniards and Moors that mi- 2001). Examples of these are closed or curtained grated from Andalusia and Extremadura, the first vehicles, special sections in theaters and cinemas searching for economic opportunities and the lat- closed off by screens, temporarily curtained sec- er escaping from the religious persecution of the tions of the street from a vehicle to a building, or Spanish monarchy and the Catholic Church (Hur- closed balconies in domestic and religious con- tado Valdez, 2005; Fernandez Muñoz, 2007, pp. texts (Papanek, 1973; Yeoh and Huang, 1998; 12–27; ‘Sucedió en el Perú “Balcones de Lima”’, Mazumdar and Mazumdar, 2001; Smith and Bley, 2016). 2013). In Lima, the construction of casonas o palacios In the “City of Kings” of Lima, during the colonial (mansions) was a complex endeavor (Patruco and the first republic periods (1620-1842), up- Núñez, 2017). Since there was neither stone nor per-class women had a unique and complex re- wood easily available because the city is locat- lationship to the public realm through the second ed in an arid coastal strip, the casonas had to be period balconies, also known as closed balconies constructed with the prehispanic materials and (Smith and Bley, 2013; ‘Sucedió en el Perú “Bal- techniques of adobe (mudbrick) and quincha cones de Lima”’, 2016; Fuentes, 2017). Because (reed or cane framework), which were also used of the immense distance between the new world by the lower classes (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, pp. and the old continent, the emerging society en- 39–45; Walker, 2003). Hence, camouflaging the joyed greater social, spatial and economic mo- rustic materials and adorning the façade with or- bility, which created the need for women’s role nate wooden closed balconies was how the elite and boundaries to be re-defined (Denegri Alvarez conveyed their wealth, status and power, and Calderon, 1996, pp. 54–55). Furthermore, life in clearly stated the power structure of the new so- Lima has often been described as a continuous cial order (figure 01). Only they could afford to masquerade, where upper-class women embod- build a second floor, to import white and dark oak ied the dualism of their context, as they were per- from Guayaquil and cedar from Nicaragua, Ecua- ceived to simultaneously encompass contrasting dor and Chile for the main doors and balconies attributes, for example being the embodiment of and to buy glass for the windows panes, to import “marianism” and “don juanism” (Tristan, 1839, pp. Sevillan mosaics and velvet upholstery for the in- 479–506; Martin, 1983, pp. 01–08; Lambright and terior of the balconies, and to afford the fees of Guerrero, 2006, pp. 49–66). Thus, women’s use the skilled Moorish and Spanish wood craftsmen of the closed balconies resulted in an extension (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, pp. 39–46; Walker, 2003; of this dualism into their relationship to the public Hurtado Valdez, 2005; Fernandez Muñoz, 2007, space and the public sphere. pp. 29–37; Fuentes, 2017) Context and necessity Furthermore, the balconies enabled the up- per-class to physically and figuratively rise above To understand how the closed balcony affected the masses in the streets, and allowed them to upper-class women’s relationship to the public communicate with the public space while main- realm, the reasons why it became such an inher- taining their domestic life private as was expected ent architectonic element of the city and how it of gente decente (noble people). (Walker, 2003; affected the entire upper-class’s relationship to ‘Sucedió en el Perú “Balcones de Lima”’, 2016). the exterior must be comprehended. The closed Additionally, it was a matter of safety to have 1 Figure 01. Photographs of the Palacio de Torre Tagle, commisioned in 1715 by Don Jose Bernardo de Tagle y Bracho, 1st Marqués of Torre Tagle Figure 02. The mansion was designed in the spanish barroque style with barroque-mudejar balconies Photograph of La Calle de los Judios, Lima in 1918. closed balconies that allowed a clear view and practice of the upper-class (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, Decorative row of turned wooden better control of the street, due to the high tensions pp. 24–27; Fernandez Muñoz, 2007, pp. 40–50; balusters, it wasn’t accesible between social classes, and the constant threat of Fuentes, 2017). Remate - top wooden cornice upheaval and political strife (Walker, 2003; Hur- tado Valdez, 2005; Fernandez Muñoz, 2007, pp. Spatial definition and struggle 38–39). Moreover, the balconies were important balaustres for the architecture of the casonas: they served to As one of the main elements of the façade of the Sobreluz - row of turned wooden illuminate and ventilate the rooms of the first floor, casona, the balcony, along with the portada (main balusters and improved their seismic behavior during the entrance) and the ventana volada (window), rep- earthquakes that constantly shook the city as was resented the identity and status of its owner to Celosia/Ventana - rectangular wood- proven during the earthquakes of 1655, 1687 and the city (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, pp. 50–57; Fuentes, en lattice window, later replaced by 1746 (Fernandez Muñoz, 2007, pp. 38–50; Coch 2017), like the case of the façade of the Palacio celosias the swing glass windows Roura and Aguero León, 2009; Scaletti Cárdenas, Torre Tagle commissioned by Don José Bernar- 2017). do de Tagle y Bracho, 1st Marquis of Torre Ta- Antepecho - row of wooden small gle when he rose to the post of treasurer of the balusters on top After the earthquake of 1746, when viceroy Man- Spanish fleet (‘Sucedió en el Perú “Balcones de Antepecho - wooden panels, carved so de Velasco approved the reforms proposed Lima”’, 2016). Architectonically, the balcony’s de- with deep geometric designs or plain, by Luis Godin, which among other ordinances sign focused on creating horizontality and unity assembled in a line, some had holes for children to see through banned the construction of two story houses and through the harmonious composition of five oak or balconies, the elite vehemently refused to com- cedar structural elements, which are from bottom Antepecho - bottom wooden cornice ply with them, because outlawing the balconies to top, the apoyo comprised by canes (wooden was an attempt to limit their autonomy, space and beams) anchored to the adobe façade wall, the antepecho power (Walker, 2003). So by the end of the seven- antepecho which comprehends the bottom cor- teenth century, Lima was already known as “the nice and wooden panels with a row of small bal- Canes - carved or plain wooden city of streets in the air” (anthropologist Antonio de usters on top, the ventana/celosia formed by the beams la Calancha) (figure 02) (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, p. swing wooden celosias (lattice work) and later 64). Thus, the balconies became deeply ingrained by the swing glass plane windows, the sobreluz comprised by the top row of balusters, and the in Lima’s idiosyncrasy, particularly in the cultural Figure 03. remate, which is the top cornice, all of which are The closed balcony’s elements explained in an diagram of a balcony of the Palacio Torre Tagle 2 3 divided into three overlapping strata: antepecho, In the design of the aforementioned casona, the celosias and balaustres (figure 03) (San Cris- closed balcony was an important space spatially tóbal Sebastian, 2003, pp. 634–635; Fernandez and symbolically, as it was “an extension of the Muñoz, 2007, pp. 28–33). Since these elements house…projected towards the exterior but main- remain the same through the centuries, balconies taining the privacy of the domestic space in a way are differentiated by their dimensions, color and that wasn’t accomplished by other architectonic ornamentation (Fiol Cabrejos, 1982, pp. 58–66; elements” (Scaletti Cárdenas, 2017). Spatially, the Fuentes, 2017). Furthermore, from 1620 to 1842 balcony functioned as extension of the first floor the closed balcony is categorized in three stylistic salas (living room and reception space) into the periods: from 1620 to 1670 the proto-baroque or street (figure 08). Through the doors of the ample early renaissance period of which the Casa de Pi- space of the salas, the balcony’s close width of latos is an excellent examples, from 1670 to 1746 0.84m-1.70m and lower ceiling of 2.95m–3.50m the baroque period to which the Palacio Torre Ta- created an intimate, comfortable space (Scaletti gle belongs, and from 1747 to 1850 the transition Cárdenas, 2017). Inside of which, different am- or neoclassical period that has the Casona Osam- biences could be created by controlling the illu- bela as an example (figures 04-07) (Fiol Cabre- mination and ventilation with the celosias, from jos, 1982, pp.