"This lavishly illustrated book by distinguished restoration architect presents the beautiful, but little known, Spanish colonial town of Santa Cruz de Mompox (or Mompos) on the Río Grande de la Magdalena. Stunning color plates capture distinctive character of Caribbean regional style in historic religious and secular buildings, also found in coastal cities such as Cartagena, Colombia, and Coro, Venezuela. Text, intended as a personal reading and critical interpretation of the town, refers to several historical sources and provides a solid formal analysis of the buildings and their urban spaces. Makes suggestive visual comparisons between brick and stucco houses of Mompox and similar fenestration treatments with iron railings in Spanish Andalusian towns such as La Campana, Ubeda, and Seville. Raises concern about recent trend resulting in the repainting of façades in garish colors, striking to the eye but not always historically authentic"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.