colonial towns
Empire's distant settlements
Colonial towns are settlements established by a colonizing power in territory it controls.
The term typically refers to towns founded during European expansion in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, often featuring distinctive architecture and grid layouts that reflected the colonizers' urban planning: The colonial towns of Mexico preserve Spanish baroque churches and central plazas.
Many survive as historic districts within modern cities.
- historic districtsDesignated preservation areas
- plazasPublic open squares
- colonial architectureArchitecture from occupied territories
- cathedralsPrincipal churches of dioceses
- Spanish missionColonial religious settlement
cobblestone streets · local markets · port cities · caste systems · trading posts · heritage sites · church bells · indigenous resistance · syncretism · encomienda · fortifications · imperialism · slavery · acculturation · mercantilism · viceroyalty · plantations · mining towns
- Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico, Carolina, Old San Juan, Arecibo
- American travelroad trip, road trips, national park, scenic routes, national monuments
- Brazil travelRio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Copacabana, Ipanema
- Latin America travelMachu Picchu, Cancun, Rio de Janeiro, Galapagos, Chichen Itza
- ColombiaBogota, Medellin, Cali, Colombian flag, Colombian coffee
- EcuadorQuito, Guayaquil, Galapagos, Andes, Amazon region
colonial townsindigenous settlements
Communities of original inhabitants
native villages · aboriginal communities · ancestral villages