Along with the modernization of society and architecture, some dynamics took place since the 19th century, which demanded for theological and liturgical renewal, looking for a greater articulation between the life of the Church and society. In this process, the II Vatican Council, which was launched little more than half a century ago (1962-1965), perhaps plays the most recognized role in such articulation. The technical evolution, on the one hand (with new materials and structural forms), and the rethinking of liturgical forms, on the other (although circumscribed to small religious communities initially), will lead to new forms in the construction and the space in Catholic modern architecture. In the Latin American case, Catholicism has been, in different ways, part of the construction of the complex identity of their peoples and the Church has been an influential institution in social life. Contemporary forms of assuming Christianity have emerged here, in a context of social commitment whose object has been the dignity of man. This article makes a critical-historical tour around the process of modernization in architecture for the Catholic worship, through some of the earliest examples of preconciliar modern Latin American architecture, and the identification of the different symbolic forms that embodied it in bold structural shapes and moving spatialities.