As time moves forward, recent history begins to reveal itself to the newest generation of historians and academics. With this transition comes a contemporary lens through which recent history may be viewed and evaluated. But, in order to properly critique and evaluate said history, there must first exist an established canon of recent historical works that has been said to be worth evaluating.

This investigation will consider the written theories of various architects such as Lluís Doménech I Montener, Leopoldo Torres Balbás, Carlos Flores, Luis Lacasa, Fernando Chueca and philosophers such as Miguel Unamuno, Jose Ortega y Gasset, to determine which texts are the most relevant (or perhaps irrelevant) to the development of 20^th century architecture in Spain. Two international expositions of Spain will serve as the beginning and end of this investigation: the 1888 Universal Exposition of Barcelona, and the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. By forming standards of comparison, the texts within this timeframe written by the aforementioned authors may be seen not only as an assortment of texts about Spanish architecture, but rather as a living organism that evolves to form the basis of 20^th century Spanish architecture.

This investigation will use criterion such as the following to serve as the basis of analysis and comparison of texts: texts which Spanish architects themselves cited and read, texts that began to from a base of theory and critique of architecture, and texts that delve into more specific themes pertaining to the creation of architecture.