This building was inspired by stone defensive structures and watchtowers built by Spanish settlers on the northern frontier. Settlers hoped that the lack of windows and the small entrance would make their towers easy to protect from invaders, an ancient tradition from the Iberian peninsula used by Romans, Visigoths and Muslims through the medieval period. Inside this Torreón, internationally renowned artist Frederico Vigil is at work on a massive painting depicting the cultural development of Hispanic heritage from prehistory to the present. This painting is being executed in the ancient technique called "fresco" in which paint is applied to wet plaster creating a permanent chemical bond and images that should last for thousands of years. Expected to be completed in 2010, the fresco painting will cover more than 4,000 square feet including the ceiling and 45-foot tall interior walls of the Torreón. The Torreón Fresco has been made possible to date by:
I.A. O'Shaughnessy Foundation
For further information please contact the Photography by Blain Anderson & Laura Yanes
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