Tonny Zwollo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tonny Zwollo
|
|
|---|---|
Architect Tonny Zwollo overlooking the Atitlán Lake (Guatemala) in 1976
|
|
| Born | 1 February 1942 Amsterdam, the Netherlands
|
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Years active | 1964– |
| Known for | Otavalo Market, Imbabura Province, Ecuador |
Tonny Zwollo, born in 1942, is a Dutch architect. She has worked in North and South America since 1964. She designed and built more than 35 schools in Mexico. She also created the biggest Indigenous market in South America, located in Otavalo, Ecuador. Tonny Zwollo believes in building things that are truly helpful for local communities. Besides schools, she has built a hotel, tourist villages, and a swimming pool in Oaxaca, Mexico. These projects helped create jobs for local people.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Tonny Zwollo was born on February 1, 1942, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her father, Marinus Zwollo, was a goldsmith. In 1964, she finished her architecture degree at the Delft University of Technology. However, it was hard for her to find work as a female architect in the Netherlands.
Building Schools in Mexico
In 1964, Tonny Zwollo accepted a job offer from the Mexican government. Her task was to build schools. She first worked in Mexico City, but she faced challenges because she was a woman. She asked to be moved to more distant areas. She was sent to Oaxaca, where she had to convince villagers to help her build schools for their communities. They often worked without pay.
To get building materials to the sites, they sometimes had to build small airstrips first. In just two years, she helped build almost 30 airstrips and 35 schools. Her amazing work was even shown in Life magazine in 1967. She finished her work with the Mexican government in 1968. In 1970, she earned an engineering degree and received the Prix d'Excellence Award for her efforts.
Designing Famous Markets
As her final student project in 1970, Tonny Zwollo traveled to Ecuador. Her goal was to design the Otavalo Market. This market is the largest outdoor market in South America. It was completed in 1973. She built 90 concrete market stalls to create the Plaza de los Ponchos. This area provides space for Indigenous merchants to sell their handmade crafts.
Other Market and Tourism Projects
In 1990, Zwollo designed another open-air market in Tlacolula de Matamoros. This market had two floors. The second floor featured a food court, and shops were on the ground floor.
In 1992, she worked with architect Martín Ruíz Camino again. They had previously worked together on a project. Zwollo suggested a plan to boost tourism in Tlacolula. Her idea was to build small tourist houses. These houses would look like the traditional homes found along the Pan-American Highway. This would allow tourists to experience local life and create jobs for Indigenous people. Ruíz, who was in charge of tourist development, put the idea into action. The Tourist Yú'ù Program started in nine villages in Oaxaca's Central Valley.
In 1993, Zwollo and Ruíz published a book about their projects. It was first released in Spanish, then in English as The Lost Paradise: Architecture and Ecology in the Oaxaca Valley (ISBN: 978-9-080-14891-8).
Protecting Nature and Culture
In 1996, Diódoro Carrasco Altamirano, the Governor of Oaxaca, asked Zwollo to be a consultant for special projects. One of these projects was at Hierve el Agua. She helped create pools near the ancient canals there. Before, swimming was not allowed to protect the old archaeological site. By building the new pools, the local community could earn money from tourism. This helped create more jobs for people living there. Tonny Zwollo also made a documentary film about this project called Blue is my colour: designing as an answer to nature.
Sources
See also
In Spanish: Tonny Zwollo para niños
