Johan Gutierrez

Gaudi and his Contemporaries

Research paper: Comparing the Architecture of Gaudi, Montaner, and Cadafalch

April 9, 2014

Spain is a country full of history and pride in its architecture and art. In fact, UNESCO, has designated it as the country with the second highest number of World Heritage sites. The history of , Iberia, , or Al-Andalus, as has been previously called, is tightly linked to its monumental architecture. This rich history leads us into the Modernismo movement that is spearheaded by Antoni Gaudi, Domenech i Montaner, and Puig Cadafalch in the capital of Catalonia.

The history of architecture in the geographical area that is now called Spain begins in the Stone Age with Megalithic architecture. The word "megalith" comes from Ancient Greek and it means "great stone". These prehistoric constructions are made by the first settling tribes in the Iberian Peninsula. The Dolmen, a formation of large stones grasped to the ground and over the base rocks to form a roof, is the largest in the peninsula. Another type of construction that occurred in Spain before the conquest of the Romans in 218 BC, was that of the Celtics in Galicia. The Celtic people came on their ships and constructed walled villages on the top of hills, which they called Castros. Most of these constructions took place in areas now known as Galicia and Dureo valley. Most of these constructions featured a circular base with a rectangular top. Their houses were usually small, from 3.5 to 5 meters long. The most influential settlement by these people in the Iberian Peninsula is Numantia. This Celtiberian settlement is located seven kilometers north of the city of in the municipality of . As typical, the settlement is located on a hill called Cerro de la Muela. Numantia plays an important historic role as it plays a critical role in the Celtiberian wars, the battles between the Celtic and Roman people over the land. The end of the Numantians came as they decided to burn themselves along with the city because they preferred this over living on as slaves of the Romans in the year 133 BC. After 20 years of fighting, since, 153 BC, the Roman Senate gave