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Housing of three spaces in Portoviejo as cultural heritage of rural manabi communities

Abstract:

This article is the result of five-year scientific research on Manabi vernacular architecture where the type of “dwellings of the three spaces” was studied. The article aims to reveal the cultural values and traditions in houses of three spaces located in rural communities of Portoviejo, in Manabí, Ecuador. Qualitative research was used. Techniques of semi-structured interviews, such as life stories, scientific observation, and analysis of the contents of archives and historical documents were carried out. 309 homes were studied. Variables like cultural identity, constructive traditions, and uses of the spaces were identified. The results showed houses of the three Manabi spaces have been a historical-cultural construction of their town transmitted from generation to generation. Economic, aesthetic, historical, use, formal, and symbolic values that correspond to those indicated in the UNESCO charts as part of vernacular architecture, are attributed in these houses. Homes of three spaces have been preserved by rural peoples, are sustainable edifications, and preserve values in the natural environments where it is located.