Roman Houses

Spanish colonial-style houses are Roman houses!  

Traditionally Roman houses featured a suite of rooms surrounding a central courtyard. The courtyard typically contained a garden and fountain. Spanish colonial houses are just the same.  

In one way this isn't surprising:  Spain was a Roman colony after all.  On the other hand, it's been more than 1500 years since the Roman empire fell.  When Oaxaca was founded, it had already been 1000 years. 

Here are a couple of photos of the house where we lived in Oaxaca. 

Our two-room suite was behind the door to the left, on the second courtyard at the back of the house.

The main courtyard

Of course, it might just be that this house design just works well for warm climates. The ancient Zapotecs appear to have independently invented the same design.  

Here are the ruins of two palaces from the ruins of Atzompa, showing residences that have rooms surrounding a central courtyard.