Zuazo in Caracas: The urbanism of exile in Venezuela, 1937

The urbanism of the 1920s and 1930s was marked by the debate over the avant-garde and in Spain during this time there were two points of reference: those who (based in Barcelona, with Sert at the helm) follow the directions of Le Corbusier and those who, from Madrid, opted for German architectural influences. But there was even a third option: that of Secundino Zuazo (arguably Madrid's principal architect before 1936) who in 1926 – backed by a French initiative – organized a study to define the urban problems of the principal Spanish cities, find solutions and present them to the municipal governments along with the necessary financial backing. In 1929 Zuazo obtained – together with Herman Jansen of Berlin – first place in the Competition held for the extension of Madrid, supporting the Project at the same time with its own financing. From that experience, during the Spanish Civil War Zuazo was invited by the Venezuelan government to go to Caracas to put together a study of that city.