São Paulo skyline at sunset, Brazil

Unearthing the spaces
diaspora built

Unearthed Urbanisms documents the spaces Black communities built, shaped, and sustained across the Americas — from the plazas of Salvador to the barrios of Cali. Through film, photography, and research, we uncover the architecture of diaspora.

From the field

Capoeira monument in Salvador, Bahia
Salvador, Brazil

[Caption needed]

Igreja dos Homens Pretos, Salvador
Salvador, Brazil

[Caption needed]

Vernacular architecture in Quibdó, Colombia
Quibdó, Colombia

[Caption needed]

Field sketch from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Wayne Anthony Evans

Who is behind Unearthed Urbanisms?

Wayne Anthony Evans is a researcher, writer, and filmmaker whose work explores how Black communities across the Americas have shaped the built environment — and how those contributions have been erased, overlooked, or deliberately forgotten. He is based in Brooklyn, New York and holds a background in architecture and design.

What is the research about?

As a recipient of the Linda and Turan Duda Travel Research Fellowship, Wayne traveled across Brazil, Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica documenting African diasporic architecture, urban space, and cultural memory. The research combines street-level photography, academic interviews, spatial mapping, and documentary filmmaking to build a visual and narrative archive of Black placemaking across the hemisphere.

What is Unearthed Urbanisms?

Unearthed Urbanisms is the public expression of that research — a series of video essays, written investigations, and photographic work that asks a simple question: What did the diaspora build, and what happened to it?

Fieldwork territories

  • São Paulo, Brazil
  • São Luís, Brazil
  • Salvador, Brazil
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Cali, Colombia
  • Quibdó, Colombia
  • Cartagena, Colombia
  • Panama City, Panama
  • Bocas del Toro, Panama
  • Limón, Costa Rica
Supported by

The Linda & Turan Duda Travel Research Fellowship