Juan Luis Burke is Assistant Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland. He received his degree in Architectural Restoration from the Universidad de Alcalá, his M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Gothenburg, and his Ph.D. in History and Theory of Architecture from McGill University. His research interests revolve around the history and theory of the architecture and urbanism produced during the period ranging from the sixteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on Latin America—particularly Mexico—and the connections between this region with Spain, Italy and North America.
What remains of the Casa del Deán is an outstanding example of renaissance architecture and murals made in the viceroyalty of New Spain.
The importance of classical architecture to Puebla’s 16th- and 17th-century colonial history helps to reframe our understanding of the renaissance as it has been traditionally understood.