Panoramic Overview of Landscape Architecture Practice in Latin America

This paper gives an overall description of the evolution of landscape architecture in Latin America. It summarizes the intervention of architecture and landscape architecture designs on natural landscape in different historical periods, and shows the process of nature evolving into artificial environment in Latin America. First, it gives a brief account of the relationship between the universe view of ancient civilization, retained from the Pre-Columbus period, and nature. Then, it goes on to discuss the impacts of the European imperial colonization on major cities and landscape architecture in Latin America. Finally, it depicts the high attention given by modern landscape architects of the early 20th century to the sites, as well as their probe into the cultural identification characteristics. It also introduces a number of representative Latin American landscape architects to the readers.