Leaving Mexico

Leaving Mexico was hard, leaving the sun and the food and the holiday behind. Flying out of Mexico City the view was unbelievable. Rows and rows of buildings as far as the eye could see. The sheer scale and impact of Mexico City was incredible.

It was a fantastic two weeks in which we discovered a small part of a country that was more diverse and complex than I had expected. It was nothing like the pre-conceived ideas that I had from films and news media which represent a small part of the culture and a part that is more or less invisible to the tourist. The food, pleasant cities and ancient ruins was a great place to have a break from New York City and get some much needed sun.

Casa Luis Barragan

After two unsuccessful attempts to see the Casa Luis Barragan I finally got to see the house on my last day in Mexico. I had high expectations of what the house would be like. Expectations that were not only satisfied but the atmosphere of the house was more moving than I could have anticipated.

Luis Barragan built the house and studio for himself in 1948. The house is considered one of Barragan's masterpieces and one of the truest manifestations of his architectural ideas. The three storey house and large internal garden covers a total of 1,161m2. Despite the scale of the property the internal spaces have an intense personal and monastic feel and has a serenity and silence which is moving. The internal spaces are built as rooms within rooms, divided by a series of walls and screens which do not reach the ceiling. The movement through the spaces is controlled by changes in direction and open staircases which are highlighted by small moments of intense beauty as one is invited to pause and contemplate the beauty of coloured light falling onto a piece of art, a surprising change in the texture or colour of a wall or a mysterious glow from an unseen source, or an unknown and captivating view into the garden.

The robust timber ceiling, rendered walls and relationship between the building and garden are typical of traditional Mexican architecture and have a hand made textured quality which appeals to the senses. The building combines both traditional and modern architectural elements. It is simultaneously simple and complex and at all times surprising without being challenging. The influence of the International Style and Espirit Nouveau on Barragan had evolved into a deeply personal and contextual architecture which was to be greatly influential on future generations of architects, both local and international.

When accepting the Priztker Prize for architecture Barragan stated, "In alarming proportions the following words have disappeared from architectural publications: beauty, inspiration, magic, sorcery, enchantment, and also serenity, mystery, silence, privacy, astonishment. All of these have found a loving home in my soul." (CASA MEXICANA" ©1989 Tim Street-Porter)

Photography was not allowed in the house, however, it is the intangible qualities that Barragan describes above which make his architecture so special, qualities which cannot be fully described through photography or words but rather by experiencing the atmosphere of the house in reality.

www.casaluisbarragan.org
whc.unesco.org/en/list/1136
www.barragan-foundation.org/

Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera

This Hacienda built at the end of the 17th century and located 2.5km west of the city center was the home of Captain Gabriel de Barrera. The Hacienda was opened as a museum in 1979 and both the house and gardens have been carefully restored and maintained.

The Hacienda is arranged around a large internal garden which has been divided into a series of smaller which are seperated by level changes and high thick walls. The cool and dark interior spaces are reached through large covered verandas and patios which act as external rooms and create an interesting narrative of spaces which continually leads one in and out of the building. The views to the garden and to other patios from the external rooms creates a complex series of relationships between the various areas of the Hacienda and changing views through the building and to the garden.

Luis Barragan was heavily influenced by the architecture of Mexican Haciendas and the materials, relationship to the garden, overlapping of rooms and spaces, level changes, and internalisation of domestic life that is used in the Hacienda can be found in the architecture of Luis Barragan and in particular his own house and studio in Tacubaya.

Guanajuato

Guanajuato is a gorgeous city of winding narrow streets and brightly coloured buildings stacked on the steep slopes of a ravine. The area was settled in 1559 because of the silver and gold deposits in the area which were among the world's richest. The difficult topography has resulted in a dense city filled with some beautiful architecture and a fascinating subterranean world of tunnels which act as main roads across the city today. The city was inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 1988.

The series of small squares which are located along the main road are lined with small cafes and restaurants and overlooked by important cultural buildings or churches. The public spaces give the city a relaxed quality where public life is played out in the squares and streets.

The city is most easily navigated on foot, as the steep terrain and winding roads makes driving difficult. The lack of cars on the streets and squares off the main road and large pedestrians zones and number of people walking gives the city a safe and sociable atmosphere.

Museo Nacional de Antropología

The Museo Nacional de Antropología (1963) designed by Pedro Ramirez Vasques is the centerpiece of the Chapultepec museum district. The gallery spaces are located in low rise late-modernist marble buildings around a large internal courtyard which is covered by a large canopy supported by a single carved bronze bronze column.

The building is surrounded by gardens which create a valuable buffer between the gallery spaces and Mexico City and are visible through large windows which let natural light into the gallery spaces. This important Mexican museum contains exhibitions that describes the history of Mexico and contains many important artifacts.

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

La Purificadora

La Purificadora is a boutique hotel located within an ex-water purification plant. The hotel is a wonderful combination of the existing building and new interventions, internal and external spaces and rich materiality. Re-used stone from the existing building, large timber beams, timber floor tiles and alabaster creates a refined yet rich atmosphere.

The hotels 26 room, bookstore, restaurants, bar and gym are organised around a large foyer and grand staircase which is open to the elements and covered with a white roof which extends across the outdoor roof top pool and bar area.

Designed by Mexican architects, Legorreta + Legorreta, La Purificadora is a careful balance between minimalism and comfort, luxury and austerity.

La Purificadora

Puebla

On our way back to Mexico City we stopped in Puebla for a couple of relaxing days spent by the pool getting some much needed sun. Known as the City of Angels Puebla is one of the best examples of the influence of the Spanish on Mexican cities. The city contains 70 churches and over 1000 colonial buildings, many covered in azulejos (painted ceramic tiles), in the historic centre. The historic centre has undergone much renovation since the 1999 earthquake and was inscribed by Unesco as a world heritage site in 1987.