In 1799, French engineer José Coquette proposed a peculiar design for a floating bridge over the Santa River, 100 kilometres south of Trujillo (Peru), critical for the land connection between Paita and Lima. Each and every bridge previously built over this pass had been destroyed by the seasonal floods common in this region. In response, the engineer designed a barge bound by a system of cables that allowed to seize the river’s own strength and generate a pendular movement to cross it. Coquette’s project ended up in success after several transformations. It is known thanks to a report submitted in 1811 to Fernando VII Royal Council, supported by three bridge plans and a territorial map traced by surveyor Antonio de Ugartevidea. The recent finding of a new folder at Dumbarton Oaks containing documentation relative to this bridge and its owners offers the possibility to complete the history of this relevant hydraulic work, including the comparison between Ugartevidea’s plans and Coquette’s originals. Their different styles of representation and the details of how they depict torrential waters speak for their drastically diverse approaches: that of the technical designers and that of notarial recorders.
In 1799, French engineer José Coquette proposed a peculiar design for a floating bridge over the Santa River, 100 kilometres south of Trujillo (Peru), critical for the land connection between Paita and Lima. Each and every bridge previously built over this pass had been destroyed by the seasonal floods common in this region. In response, the engineer designed a barge bound by a system of cables that allowed to seize the river’s own strength and generate a pendular movement to cross it. Coquette’s project ended up in success after several transformations. It is known thanks to a report submitted in 1811 to Fernando VII Royal Council, supported by three bridge plans and a territorial map traced by surveyor Antonio de Ugartevidea. The recent finding of a new folder at Dumbarton Oaks containing documentation relative to this bridge and its owners offers the possibility to complete the history of this relevant hydraulic work, including the comparison between Ugartevidea’s plans and Coquette’s originals. Their different styles of representation and the details of how they depict torrential waters speak for their drastically diverse approaches: that of the technical designers and that of notarial recorders. Read More
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