Churriguera, José Benito [key] describes the architecture of the late 17th and early 18th cent. in Spain, marked by extravagance of design and capricious use of Renaissance motives; the architects of the period used architectural forms to produce free and theatrical contrasts of line and surface with extreme richness and exuberance. The facade of the cathedral at Murcia illustrates the style's full expression. The Churrigueresque manner was an important influence on the Spanish colonial work in the United States and in Mexico, where the mission buildings are frequently naive examples of that style, much modified by lack of trained workmen.
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