Conflict and Transformation: Historic Perspectives of Architectural Heritage in Achuar Communities (Ecuador)

This article analyses the architectural elements and constructive techniques of the vernacular architecture of the Achuar people, focusing on the physical components of dwellings in response to social and cultural dynamics. A methodological approach based on source triangulation has enabled the comparison of 16th-century cartographic representations, 20th-century ethnographic records, and modern-day observations to evaluate the evolution and survival of tangible spatial and morphological representations characteristic of the Amazonia. The study covers topics ranging from the way in which these structures were documented and represented in early encounters with the Europeans and the Tupinambás, who created new forms of spatial negotiation, to the identification of the main architectural components which have survived, considering both their material dimension and cultural value. This article has contributed to a deeper understanding of architecture as an expression of different ways of life in constant transformation, highlighting the ontological differences between European territorial design and the original peoples.