ARCHITECTURE, CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND POWER IN THE 90'S: THE CASE OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

Santiago de Compostela seems like an optimal reflection of the optimism that marked the architecture in the 90's. On the one hand, Xerardo Estevez's city government developed some contemporary architectures in dialogue with the story of the city. On the other hand, Galician president Fraga pushed the brand << Xacobeo >> as a strategy to transform peregrination into a touristic framework based on new cultural and architectonical references. Both Galician architects, who were being well considered by critics, and foreign architects participated in this complex process. As Compostela became a cultural destination, the increasing spectacularization of architecture played a major role. Peter Eisenman's City of Culture, fuelled by Fraga's government, was the culmination of this process. This project intended to be a benchmark for Galicia in the 21st Century and to establish, as the architect asserted, a << Gaias effect >>.