Grid as Law

Urban Form, The Grid and Settlement Laws

How did the Spanish articulate what newly founded cities are to look like?

Principle objectives is to minister to the aboriginal peoples and the only way that you can repopulate an area is if the peoples of that area are properly looked after under the new laws of the ones doing the conquering. The area must be elevated in order to put upon it the Spanish ideal. It must not be too high or too low, in order for easy access. Lands near water are not allowed, due to the potential for pirates and other scavengers who will not take the Spanish Law into practice. The new habitable areas must be able to be considered a town, village or other vernacular that describes an urban environment to allow for citizens to interact as neighbors. 

Are their dimensions and plans provided? 

The plans provide that the size of the common area, the plaza, should correspond to the number of citizens in the area. and that all should be built around this common ground. Beginning with four principle streets, and depending on the weather the streets that follow should be either narrow or wide. 

How is the space organized?

The space is organized with the common meeting area in the center and everything surrounding it to point directly back to this space. 

The cities, towns, and villages were built in order for the suppression and control over the population. By having the center being the common plaza of which the government could hold public meetings and the inhabitants could feel a sense of belonging in order to perform the needs of their rulers.