Freddy Mamani

Freddy Mamani Silvestre (born 1 November 1971) is a Bolivian self-taught architect noted for his development of the Neo-Andean architectural style. His work is most associated with the city of El Alto and with the new social class of upwardly mobile indigenous Bolivians.

Biography Mamani was born in Catavi; his father was a bricklayer. They moved to El Alto while Freddy was at the age of six.

Work

His buildings are described as "la nueva arquitectura andina," or New Andean Architecture. In 2018, his buildings and work were featured in National Geographic, which said he was known as the "King of Andean Architecture." While lower levels of the buildings he designs often hold shops, the upper levels are often used as party spaces. Martha Moskowitz of Frederic Magazine wrote in April 2024 that he was inspired to some extent by stone carvings from the ancient city of Tiwanaku, with symbols such as the goddess Pachamama, the Andean cross, and the patterns of Chola dresses are also used, often in complex geometric shapes. He also draws from colors of the awayo shawls that indigenous Bolivian children are carried in by their mothers.