A Mexican meander

Now that the altitude sickness has worn off, we are ready to talk about it.

Who would have thought that being 7,000ft above sea level would make you feel like you had a constant and dirty hangover?

Invited for the IESNA Mexico Conference, we gave one of our non-conformist talks in Mexico City last week and were pleased it went down well. For Spanish speakers, you can read an official review here. Other speakers included Mark Major, Anne Bureau and David DiLaura, who were flown in to contribute.

As usual we took the time to look around. The first highlight was our Friday trip to Luis Barragán’s house until it was trumped by our find on the last night, but more about that in a bit.

Constructed in 1948, Luis Barragán’s house and studio is now a museum with most of the house remaining as Barragán left it. Visitors may tour the Casa with a guide - it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004.

He was one of those architects who innately ‘got’ light. From hidden skylights; yellow glass (a la John Soane); small slots in windows to form crosses; an indoor/outdoor garden/light connection; inbuilt uplighters; and homemade luminaires to fit the design, his home, studio and garden are a must see for lovers of space and light.

The yellow and pinks used on the walls contrast with the Mexican blue sky, reflecting colour and warmth across spaces. This was only topped by my audible gasp upon seeing the large gold square artwork that bathed the stairway in light. The pilgrimage to this nice residential neighbourhood is well worth it despite the guide books referring to it as ‘gritty’!

As if that wasn’t enough to fuel our light-seeking souls, we accidentally stumbled upon a hotel designed in 1968 by a protégée of Barragán, Ricardo Legorreta. When we found the Camino Real Hotel next to our hotel on our last night, we were speechless. After a long day on an open-top tour bus and serious sunburn, we just wanted a quiet drink. This place with its vast spaces, backlit marble, tiny inbuilt light details, light slots and sun screening blew us away. These Mexican architects really knew their stuff!

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