The methods of calculation used in engineering, and specifically in structural design, have experienced a great development throughout the 20th century. From the manual methodologies to the present systems, mainly based on computer calculations, they have increased of unimaginable way the calculation capacity, as well as the precision, reliability and speed of calculation. The methods at the beginning of the century, that followed the previous graphical methods, with which they coexisted a long time, gave rise to iterative systems for solving equations. These methodologies evolved with the appearance of first computers, and the increase of the capacity of calculation, memory and speed, lead to an increase of the degree of sophistication and complexity of the used methods. In this article the basic characteristics of the evolution of the methods of analysis of structures and its implications for the professional and educational world are exposed. This evolution is exemplified through three significant methods: the graphical methods, the Cross method and the Finite Element Method

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