Originating from a modest housing plan in 1982, Ciudad Cayala’s design transformed in 2003 when Guatemalan developer Hector Leal invited architects worldwide to meet and discuss possibilities for the new city. Leon Krier, a leading classical architect, presented a plan for building a miniature city based on traditional Guatemalan architecture. The final details were worked out by Richard Economakis, Notre Dame School of Architecture professor, and the Guatemalan architectural firm, Estudio Urbano, founded by two of his former students Pedro Godoy and Maria Sanchez.
Today Cayala includes over 600 residences and 300 businesses. Its 60 block of buildings and 45 streets—paved with classic stone rather than asphalt—include a preschool and university campus, hotels, medical offices, tennis courts, five plazas, a park and—on a more contemporary note—a zipline.
Harmony and Beauty
The city and structures are all built in Latin America’s traditional Spanish colonial style: white exterior walls, often trimmed with red tile roofs and brown wood “Juliet balconies,” which have existed in Guatemala for centuries. Other common decorative features include wall fountains and rosette windows. Krier is a proponent of architecture that prioritizes human skill over the dominance of skyscrapers. In keeping with that style, Cayala’s structures don’t exceed six stories.
Aside from baroque influences, the church’s exterior successfully blends a mixture of eclectic designs. Though the church’s campanile (bell tower) is classically designed, the floor plan is similar to a Greek cross shaped cathedral and the dark gray domes reflect Moorish influence on Spanish architectural styles.
Innovations in Classical Aesthetics
The church’s architectural rival is Salon Azaria de Cayala, the city’s civic hall. Winner of the 2013 “Traditional Building Magazine” Palladio Award for best new building of over 30,000 square feet, it is primarily based on the design of classical Greek temples, but with an eclectic blend of ancient and indigenous designs with innovative techniques.
Perhaps the most unique innovation is the front exterior staircase. Arranged like three sides of a pyramid, the staircase is based on Mayan temple designs rather than Greek. On one side of the building is a wooden pergola, a characteristic of Guatemalan architecture. Classical columns are topped by capitals carved to look like corn stalks—a crop so essential to Guatemalan life that ancient Mayans believed particular gods were responsible for growing it. While that decorative motif can sound incongruous, the design creates a beautiful effect perfectly at home in the building’s classical context.
New and small as it may be, Cayala already serves as a model for the 385 square miles and over 1,000,000 residents of Guatemala City’s larger urban area. Since 2021, Mayor Ricardo Quinonez has been using the planned city as a model to revitalize his largely impoverished and crime-ridden neighborhoods. The relative closeness of businesses and residences, the accessibility of public areas and the modest size of its buildings all have contributed to a sense of local community—which contributes to keeping it clean, beautiful, and free of crime. These qualities have been aided and enhanced by Cayala’s economic success.
Combined with the planned expansion of Cayala, Quinonez’s vision to architecturally beautify neighborhoods will hopefully help put the metropolis on a steady road to recovery.
