Shaping Terrain shows how the physical landscape and local ecology have influenced human settlement and built form in Latin America since pre-Columbian times. Most urban centers and capitals of Latin American countries are situated on or near dramatically varied terrain, and this book explores the interplay between built works and their geographies in various cities including Bogota, Caracas, Mendoza, Mexico D. F., Rio de Janeiro, Santiago de Chile, and Valparaiso.

The multi-national contributors to Shaping Terrain have a broad range of professional experience as...