Peru

The word ‘generosity’ has meanings that have fallen in disuse. One of them is ‘nobility inherited from the ancestors’. ‘Generosity’ shares its root, gen-, with the word ‘genesis’. For the past 4000 years, one of the most arid places in the planet has been home to 447 undercover spaces, laden with an ignored memory. These adobe buildings have been buried in dust by oblivion. Their perception as architecture made virtually impossible, they are mistaken for earthen hills. Their architecture reveals strategies of opportunity as defined by their relationship to emptiness. Their generosity can be assessed in dierent levels, including the transformation of their environment through the network of canals that at present is the invisible ecological system that supports Lima with its ten million inhabitants. Huacas and canals form the basis for the contemporary continuity of architecture and terrain. With Undercover we strive to unveil this ancient heritage and imagine the possibilities for the city’s future transformation.