ABSTRACT
In the Viceroyalty of Peru, political power was strongly linked to religion. In the first hundred years following the Spanish Conquest, the magnificent cathedrals, symbolically representing the Spanish dominion, became the reference construction model with the introduction of vaulted masonry structures. Juan Miguel de Veramendi, Francisco Becerra, Francisco Domínguez Chávez y Orellana and other architects from the Old World designed the most important colonial churches. The masons who gave life to the European forms were native, thanks to their ancestral mastery of the building material. Since these areas were frequently affected by earthquakes, many churches have been completely transformed over the years. The evolution of these structures is examined through the analysis of the remaining vaults, the evaluation of scientific literature and a thorough archival review. More specifically, the Cathedrals of Lima and Cusco explain the different experiments undertaken to make vaulted structures resistant to earthquakes.
