Filtered Modernities

Architecture at the Edge of Tradition and Transformation

Abstract

Architecture in the rural northeast of Mexico reflects an ongoing negotiation between inherited building traditions and contemporary aspirations for modernity. In many settlements, vernacular construction practices developed through interactions between communities, materials, and environmental conditions continue to shape the built environment. At the same time, increasing access to industrial materials and changing cultural perceptions of modern living have begun to transform these traditional building systems. These adaptations constitute a form of spatial [re]claiming, in which modernity is filtered through vernacular principles and the lived experience of place, reflecting not only practical needs but also a deeper, implicit assertion of cultural identity.

This paper examines how vernacular architecture in the rural settlement of Jamé, located in northeastern Mexico, adapts to these changing conditions. Through a qualitative analysis combining contextual site research and a review of key literature on vernacular architecture and cultural practice, the study explores how local dwellings incorporate new materials while retaining elements of traditional construction knowledge.

The findings suggest that recent architectural transformations in the region are characterised by hybrid material strategies, where earthen construction techniques coexist with industrial materials such as concrete block and corrugated steel. These hybrid forms reflect not simply the replacement of vernacular traditions but rather a process through which communities reinterpret architectural practices in response to evolving environmental, social, and cultural conditions.

By analysing these material transformations, the paper explores different lenses through which vernacular architecture can be understood through transforming and adapting processes rather than preserving a static historical condition. The case of Jamé illustrates how architectural modernity in rural contexts is often locally filtered through existing building traditions, producing built environments that negotiate between tradition and transformation. It contributes to broader conversations about how architecture is [re]imagined at the edges of mainstream frameworks and how built form becomes both a reflection of and a critique of dominant narratives of development.