Significados sociales y culturales de las formas de construir y habitar las viviendas vernáculas en Cuenca y Santa Isabel

Abstract

The present study focuses on analyzing the social and cultural meanings rooted in the practices of construction and ways of inhabiting vernacular houses in the localities of Cuenca and Santa Isabel. The research is based on a qualitative approach with an ethnographic

design that employs data collection techniques such as semi-structured interviews and non- participant observation. The results obtained reveal that construction practices and techniques

are inherently imbued with social and cultural meanings, as the construction process becomes a space where social relationships intertwine, and both traditions and cultural knowledge inherited from the locality are applied. Furthermore, it has been found that ways of inhabiting acquire meaning through the relationship of individuals with their built environment and the experiences they undergo in that space. Based on these results, it was concluded that vernacular houses transcend their material focus to become constructions that encapsulate a set of meanings, both in their construction process and in their way of being inhabited by those who build and inhabit them. This knowledge can have a profound impact on the generation of new knowledge, as it would significantly contribute to future research that integrates the social and cultural perspective into the analysis of constructions and buildings.