Publications
The Sound Politics of Racial Segregation in Urban Morocco
Colonial Tetouan, the capital of Spanish Morocco, emerged as a sonically contested urban space where auditory culture challenged official attempts at racial and religious segregation. The study reveals that diverse acoustic territories—shaped by music, discourse, and legislation—disrupted Spanish authorities' efforts to impose social control through sound regulation. By analyzing how sensory experiences structured urban coexistence, the research demonstrates that Tetouan's complex sonic environment resisted imposed auditory regimes, highlighting the role of sound in negotiating power dynamics in colonial cities.
Bad Nuader de Tetuán (Marruecos) en unos planos de 1888
Two previously unpublished 1888 plans of the Bad Nuader Gate in Tétouan's Medina, held in the Cartoteca of the Geographic Service of the Army, provide a detailed record of its state before the Spanish Protectorate. These meticulous surveys at a scale of 1:100, authored by Francisco Gómez Jordana, Alejo Corso, and Eduardo Álvarez, reveal the gate's historical configuration and offer critical insights for modern restoration efforts. The plans underscore the importance of preserving Tétouan's defensive heritage, allowing researchers to establish accurate restoration criteria based on its pre-occupation condition.
Evaluating Summer Neutral Temperature and Land Surface Temperature Trends Over Three Decades in Tetuan, Morocco Using Thermal Comfort Questionnaires
A significant shift in summer neutral temperatures and land surface temperature (LST) trends has been identified in Tetuan, Morocco, over the past three decades. This study combines subjective thermal comfort data from 423 respondents with objective temperature measurements to map urban thermal dynamics influenced by climate change. The findings reveal how urban populations adapt to rising temperatures, providing critical insights for Mediterranean urban planning and public health strategies. By analyzing thermal sensation votes against recorded temperatures, researchers have established neutral temperature thresholds that could guide efforts to enhance thermal comfort in urban environments.
Génesis del Ensanche de Tetuán (Marruecos) El papel de la burguesía comercial catalana
A new interpretation of Tétouan's urban expansion, the Ensanche, reveals that its development was driven by Catalan commercial and financial bourgeoisie, particularly through the Sociedad Anónima Oliva. This study, based on extensive archival research in Spain and Morocco, demonstrates how these groups dominated key economic roles, shaping the city's capitalist and speculative urban model during the first third of the 20th century. Their influence extended to uniting Spanish, Hebrew, and Muslim property owners across the Ensanche, mellah, and medina, fundamentally altering Tétouan's landscape under Spanish colonial rule.
Hydraulic networks and vernacular architecture: Ingenuity and sustainable management of a vital resource
Ancient hydraulic networks and vernacular architecture in arid regions, such as those found in Moroccan cities like Figuig, Fez, and Tetouan, demonstrate remarkable resilience and sustainability in water resource management. These systems, rooted in modularity, simplicity, and adaptability, offer low-cost solutions that can inspire contemporary approaches to address modern water scarcity challenges. The study highlights the potential of integrating ancestral knowledge with modern technologies to create hybrid strategies that balance heritage preservation with innovation, ensuring long-term resource sustainability.
Reyes Ruiz, Antonio: Génesis del Ensanche de Tetuán (Marruecos). El papel de la burguesía comercial catalana
The Medina of Tétouan underwent significant urban expansion driven by Catalan commercial bourgeoisie between 1913 and 1923. This study reveals how the Sociedad Anónima Oliva-Ensanche de Tetuán navigated complex social dynamics, balancing colonial ambitions with local traditions and strategic interests. The research employs a historical and socio-political lens, supported by archival materials such as photographs, newspaper clippings, and color graphics, to illustrate the evolution of this urban project. Key findings highlight the tension between colonizers' aspirations for autonomy and the resistance or adaptation of the indigenous population, framed within Spain's post-1898 colonial context. The study contributes to a broader understanding of Tétouan's urban development as a microcosm of North African colonial history.
Del declive del zellige tetuaní a la supremacía de la nueva azulejería
The traditional zellige technique, a hallmark of Islamic geometric mosaic art, experienced a steady decline from the late 19th century onwards in Tétouan (formerly Titawin), replaced by new ceramic tiles produced and exported from Spain. This shift was driven by complex factors including economic, social, ideological, political, and urbanistic changes, fundamentally altering the city's medina and its expansion. While efforts to preserve zellige were made by local authorities and citizens, it ultimately succumbed to the dominance of the new azulejería, which has since become a defining element of Tétouan's heritage. The study analyzes these historical transitions through extensive documentation from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries, providing insight into the multifaceted causes behind this cultural and architectural transformation.
Reseña de libro: Tetuán, herencia viva
Tétouan's Medina embodies a living cultural heritage shaped by centuries of intercultural exchange between Western and Arab perspectives. The book Tetuán, herencia viva highlights how this heritage manifests in its urban architecture, evolving through collaborative interactions among academia, institutions, and students. It serves as a significant reference for understanding Tétouan's territorial, urban, and architectural dimensions within an intercultural framework.
Estudio y análisis de la forja marroquí en la medina de Tetuán
The Medina of Tétouan retains distinct architectural elements from its Andalusian past, particularly its wrought ironwork. A recent study analyzed the evolution and influence of this forging tradition, tracing its roots to the Nazarite Kingdom of Granada in the 15th century. Researchers compiled historical documentation, including written and graphical records, to examine the unique characteristics of Tétouan's wrought ironwork, comparing it with similar elements found in Granada's Albaycín district and nearby Andalusian villages like Capileira, Comares, and Grazalema. This analysis highlights the enduring cultural legacy of Andalusian migration on North African urban architecture, while also underscoring the urgent need for conservation efforts to preserve this heritage before further deterioration.
Lugares del Mediterráneo: Tetuán
The Medina of Tétouan emerges as a unique urban, architectural, and landscape entity, blending historical depth with modern dynamism. This study reveals how the interplay between the historic medina, its cemeteries, and the 19th-century expansion (ensanche) creates a cohesive cultural landscape, marked by syncretic design elements that reflect shared identities. The research highlights the medina's role as both an anchor to tradition and a bridge to modernity, with its forms and functions deeply embedded in local life. Methodologically, it employs urban analysis and architectural syncretism to demonstrate how these three components—historical, funerary, and modern—interact to form Tétouan's distinct identity within the Mediterranean context.
“La cocina de la esclava y la fama para su ama”. Intercambios rituales y paradojas de la esclavitud en Tetuán
Enslaved domestic workers in Tétouan, Morocco, from the late 19th to mid-20th century paradoxically held symbolic power within their oppressive social hierarchy. Despite their subjugation, these women—often of African or Sub-Saharan descent—served as culinary representatives for elite households, embodying prestige through gastronomic labor. They also functioned as ritual mediators, protecting their owners through spiritual practices linked to Gnawa cofradías and sanctuaries. This study reveals how enslaved bodies became agents in clientelist relationships, wielding paradoxical powers of both harm and protection within complex ritual exchanges. Analyzing oral histories and archival sources, the research exposes the contradictions of slavery, where subalternn groups were simultaneously marginalized yet endowed with symbolic agency to challenge or reinforce social order.
Proyecto Tetuán como espacio de aprendizaje. Investigación y docencia en Conservación del Patrimonio Edificado.
A groundbreaking initiative in the conservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 'Proyecto Tetuán,' demonstrates how research and education can synergistically preserve historical architecture. Focusing on the Medina of Tétouan—a 1997-listed site renowned for its exceptional preservation—this project integrates fieldwork by the AEDIFICATIO research group with undergraduate teaching in Architecture Technical studies. By designing and implementing targeted activities within the historic center, it bridges the gap between academic learning and practical conservation efforts, offering a model for sustainable heritage management. The approach underscores the Medina's dual role as both a living cultural landscape and an educational laboratory, contributing to global discussions on preserving built heritage while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Territory of the Grand Tetouan as Linear City: Between Description and Project
A novel approach to urban planning in the Grand Tetouan region (North Morocco) reinterprets the concept of a linear city, traditionally linked to industrial development, through the lens of tourism. This study demonstrates that the linear city model can serve as both a descriptive and project-oriented tool, bridging the gap between urban analysis and design. Leveraging pedagogical experimentation in an architecture studio, researchers mapped the region's physical elements using the notion of 'urban material,' revealing complex patterns of production and use. The findings suggest that this approach offers a nuanced understanding of how the city is formally and socially constructed, with potential implications for sustainable urban development.
المكانة الديمغرافية ومسألة تراجع ساكنة المدينة العتيقة لتطوان: قراءة في خصائص وإيقاعات التطور السكاني بنسيج مغربي عتيق
A significant demographic decline has been observed in the historic Medina of Tétouan, Morocco, since the 1980s, contrasting with broader urban population trends. This study highlights that the old city's population loss is closely linked to socio-cultural, economic, and urban transformations, as well as external pressures affecting traditional Moroccan urban fabrics. The research analyzes the unique demographic characteristics of historic medinas, distinguishing them from modern urban areas. Using Tétouan as a case study, it examines the interplay between these factors and the resulting population shifts, offering insights into the challenges faced by heritage sites in preserving their cultural identity amid rapid urbanization.
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