Earth and Exchange: Tapia and the Construction of Early Modern Iberia
Wed 5/28/2025 • 11AM - 12PM PDT
In this presentation, UCLA doctoral candidate Rachel Schloss analyzes the social, cultural, and technological history of tapia, a system of rammed-earth building utilized on the Iberian Peninsula from the 11th to 17th centuries CE, from which impressive large-scale structures were built, including the Alhambra in Granada. In particular, Schloss considers how the shifts and changes in the material and construction technology over time were underwritten by political developments and exchange of knowledge as well as shifting relationships with the environment and the earth.