Chapter 6 architect in terms of a shift from Le Corbusier to Frank Lloyd Wright as sources of inspiration. It would be an oversimplification, however, to treat O’Gorman as a Mexican disciple of Wright’s organic philosophy. His postwar work is rooted in an appreciation for the rich legacy of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. O’Gorman began to incorporate elements of the mythology and iconography of pre-Conquest cultures in his designs: his house is encrusted with mosaic decoration and the mask-like facade is based on the image of the Aztec deity Tlaloc. O’Gorman’s telluric version of modernism attempts to enlist the primal energy of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations in the development of a fiercely independent cultural identity for modern Mexico. The contrast between Niemeyer’s and O’Gorman’s designs indicates the multiple forms of modernity evident in Central and South America after the war.
Campus Architecture In the third quarter of the twentieth century, the number of young people attending universities rose dramatically. Before the war, the population of university students in western Europe could be numbered in the low hundred thousands. The historian Eric Hobsbawm estimates that Germany, France, and Britain, three of the most developed countries in Europe, together had no more than 150,000 students pursuing a university degree at any one time. Within decades, the number of students in western Europe had grown into the millions. The phenomenal growth in higher education was not confined to Europe. The end of colonialism created opportunities for formerly subject countries to nurture their intellectual resources, and higher education was an important part of national agendas for devel-
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