2024 - Echoes of Memory and Light in the Andes:Muliza of Dreams and Longings

Cerro de Pasco, a high-Andean city in Peru, is distinguished by the Raúl Rojas Open Pit, an immense mine at its center. This pit has consumed urban areas, altering the city’s structure and the lives of its inhabitants. It symbolizes the community’s challenges: loss of social fabric, erosion of memory, and severe contamination. This architectural project is a protest and a gesture of resistance, offering a refuge amidst adversity. It reaffirms the identity and memory of a community striving to preserve its cultural and environmental heritage. This project embodies Cerro de Pasco’s resilience and adaptation. Cerro de Pasco’s identity has been intricately linked to mining. The city grew around the socavón, with mining shaping its urban and social fabric. This proximity to mining dangers created shared experiences of pain and resilience. Accidents, labor in darkness, and frequent losses forged a culture of melancholy, reflected in local folklore. The transition to open-pit mining with the Raúl Rojas Open Pit drastically altered the city, erasing symbols and monuments of collective memory. The implementation of Plan L threatens to eradicate the last remnants of the historic center, forcing the city to adapt and grow on its periphery, continuing a cycle of development and displacement. This project introduces an integrated architectural solution comprising three interconnected buildings: the Environmental Control Center, the Interpretation Center, and the Community Center. These buildings monitor and treat contamination, educate about mining history, and promote cultural and social revitalization. They function cohesively, fostering dynamic interaction and catalyzing sustainable regeneration. Natural light is the soul of this project, connecting the present with a past of sorrow and resilience. Through recovered old windows, light becomes a tangible trace of history. These windows illuminate the interior spaces and evoke collective memory. Strategically placed openings conserve heat, functioning bioclimatically and symbolically. The building brings the socavón to the surface, showcasing a structure made of memory and recovered materials. It uses concrete, quincha, and steel, blending traditional materials with modern technologies. This project preserves historical elements of Cerro de Pasco and reinterprets symbols lost to mining expansion. Important landmarks have been integrated into the building’s design. With the imminent destruction of the historic center, old houses will be carefully dismantled. Their doors, windows, and adobe blocks will become the essence of the new building, creating a tangible link to the community’s heritage. By integrating these elements, the building becomes a living museum, preserving Cerro de Pasco’s memory amidst inevitable changes. The powerful narrative ensures the community’s memory remains alive, honoring its resilience and cultural identity. Through this project, Cerro de Pasco’s spirit is enshrined in architecture. It stands as a beacon of hope and resilience, a sanctuary where past and present converge. This project preserves the essence of Cerro de Pasco, celebrating its history and nurturing its identity.