Hausa architecture is an important part of African indigenous architecture. In many respects its construction techniques, its wail decoration and its structural forms, have been recognised as unique. Most of the Hausa Architecture studied has been in the form of palaces, mosques and few houses of the affluent, merchants and administrators. However the bulk of the Hausa built environment is, and for long has been, composed of ordinary domestic houses that accommodate the citizens of its cities and hamlets. This work deals with Hausa architecture as found in the older parts a major Hausa urban centre; to wit the walled city of Kano. The Kano built environment is composed of several forms of architecture, but the main concern here is specifically with the Hausa domestic architecture in the walled city of Kano. The study is informed by the theoretical proposition that a correlation exists between the spatial organisation of domestic house and the social life of its inhabitants; consequently changes in one result in changes in the other and vice-versa. The study has four main objectives: to establish the basic characteristics of Hausa domestic architecture, i.e. its dominant spatial themes; to show how the resulting domestic environment is supportive of the Hausa-Islamic culture; to examine the cultural impact of colonialism on the concept of the dwelling unit and by extension, on the culture of the Hausa; and to broaden the data base of an indigenous knowledge system in the field of architecture. The principal findings of the work are: that Hausa domestic architecture as found in the walled city is conceptually of two broad types; that the design concept of these types is rooted in the Hausa socio-cultural paradigm; that the design concept is flexible enough to cater for the subcultural elements that are the hallmarks of any Hausa society; that the changes in the political, economic and social fabric of the Hausa society in its recent history have had very little effect on the spatial quality of Hausa domestic architecture.

"Neo-Inca" or Colonial? The Death of Inca Architecture and other ParadigmsMost indigenous architectural traditions are believed to have ended abruptly with the European invasion of the Americas. In the Andes, scholars have argued that Inca architecture ceased soon after the arrival of the Spaniards and was rapidly replaced with European models. In this paper, I argue that the perceived death of Inca architecture is a false paradigm based on a variety of factors, such as a split in scholarly disciplines, a lack of scholarship on indigenous post contact architecture, and —most importantly— naming practices that have carried mistaken assumptions about the past. Focusing on Chinchero, the private estate of Thupa ‘Inka, as a case study, this paper demonstrates that Inca architecture continued well after the Spanish invasion. / Por lo general, se cree que las tradiciones arquitectónicas indígenas finalizaron bruscamente con la invasión europea de las Américas. En los Andes, los especialistas piensan que la arquitectura inca cesó poco después de la llegada de los españoles y fue reemplazada de manera rápida por modelos europeos. En el presente artículo, la autora plantea que la percepción de la "muerte" de la arquitectura inca es un paradigma falso, cuyo origen se debe a varios factores, tal como la separación en disciplinas académicas, la ausencia de estudios calificados sobre arquitectura indígena posterior a la Conquista, y, sobre todo, las denominaciones modernas, que implican erróneas aseveraciones acerca del pasado. Los trabajos de investigación se concentran en Chinchero, la propiedad privada de Thupa ‘Inka, como un caso en el que se demuestra que la arquitectura inca siguió en existencia después de la invasión española.

In this study sixteen early stone buildings at Fredericksburg, Texas, are described and evaluated as examples of indigenous architecture. Chapter II presents a brief history of the founding of Fredericksburg. Chapter III presents a description of the town site and a discussion of the native materials as used by the pioneer immigrants in the construction of residences and other buildings. Chapter IV is devoted to a detailed description of fourteen buildings as specific examples of the indigenous architecture. Representative photographs of the buildings as they now appear, as well as floor plans, illustrate the text. Two early churches of the indigenous type, accompanied by photographs and floor plans, are discussed in Chapter V. In Chapter VI a summary of the study is given and conclusions are presented.