The US election season, already weird, is getting even stranger: A bizarre architectural conspiracy theory has entered the political discourse. Adherents of the "Tartarian" theory posit that a forgotten empire is responsible for building much of the world's ornate premodern structures, from European cathedrals to the Pyramids, and that none other than Donald Trump will lead a glorious return of that lost golden age. How did we get here? The GOP presidential nominee's off-topic musings on neoclassical buildings and gold domes at campaign speeches have led many followers of the fantastical theory to insist that Trump himself is also a believer. And in many ways, as contributor Zach Mortice writes in a followup to his 2021 deep dive into the online origins of this pseudohistory, the themes of the Tartarian mythology align with broader ideas and grievances of Trumpism. Today on CityLab: The Tartarian Candidate — Linda Poon Argentina Drug Trafficking Hotspot Sees Murders Plunge Rosario Mayor Pablo Javkin says homicides are down to 70 from more than 200 at this time last year, as local and national officials invest in a massive police presence. From the Archive: Would Trump Ban Modernist Federal Buildings Again? Two federal courthouses commissioned under President Donald Trump's order that buildings be "beautiful" are currently underway. America Is Filling Notorious Former Jails With Asylum-Seekers Detainees await immigration court hearings in Deep South facilities with long records of mistreatment. |
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