Plateresque

Refers to a style in Spanish and Spanish Colonial architecture and ornament in the 15th and 16th centuries. The term was first used by Diego Ortiz de Zúñiga in 1677 to describe a facade. It means "silversmith-like" and is characterized by richly ornamented surfaces, as were common in a silversmith's intricate work. The style is derived from Late Gothic, Islamic, and Italian Renaissance art. In architecture the style is typically seen in smaller buildings and is characterized by twisted columns, heraldic escutcheons, sinuous scrolls, and florid, jewelry-like ornament that masks the structure beneath.