Mexico City, Day 1

After [surprisingly] exhausting last couple of days in New York, I arrived to Mexico City half alive. After an hour ride in a 35C heat in a car with no AC but with an open window to absorb nice gas exhaust smell, I felt I've seen the real Mexico City - congested, dirty, and poor. Just exactly how I envisioned it. With no energy for dinner I was ready to crash for a 14-hour sleep. In the morning I woke up to shitty breakfast and cold shower in a shared bathroom of my hostel. I felt my last 20 hours were a short preview of what awaits me in South America - loneliness, lack of comfort and stress.

How glad I was to realize that I was completely wrong. First of all, there was hot water in the bathroom. Secondly, Mexico City completely surprised me. Thirdly, what stress? No stress!

But let me be more specific.

I started my tour of Mexico City or simply D.F. (from Districo Federal) in a weird way for most of the tourists - I went to the area called Tacubaya to visit the house of Luis Barragán. Before the trip I have never heard of this Mexican architect, but now I am in love. The tour is available by appointment only and costs M$100 ($10, not cheap for Mexico). The commute, the cost, the hassle is absolutely worth it! Luis Barragán built this house for himself in 1948 and even though it is not inviting from the outside, the house is a product of absolute genius inside. We were showed on the tour how the architect used light, both natural and artificial, colors and natural materials to create a simply magic atmosphere. I loved the doors and wall closets or shelves that blended into walls. Every detail of the space had a purpose, every shadow was there by design. Interchange of low and high ceilings, huge windows, furniture designed by Luis Barragán, his favorite glass balls and an amazing smell and freshness to the house made it an absolutely great off-beaten path trip. His house and studio is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004.






Luis Barragán used mirrored balls of different sizes throughout the house to have a view "behind" the door






This composition is pretty much the symbol of Casa Luis Barragán


Photography was not allowed inside (I got two shots though!), so I recommend to visit the Casa Luis Barragán website (in Spanish) for images, plans and descriptions.

Inspired by the first treat, I joined some students-architects from Japan to visit the Gilardi house, the last one designed by Barragan in 1975. It was located 15 minutes away, cost another M$100 and was as stunning as the architect's studio. We received the tour from the owner of the house (daughter?), who lives there with her husband and three sons.


[outside]


[inside, view from the terrace]

Again no pictures were allowed, which was understandable as we were walking through private residence, but oh-my how much I wanted to take pictures of that hall that is lit by natural light that comes through yellow glass. As I approached the dining room I thought I was looking at glass floor. Never in my life I would of thought it was a POOL. Yes, a pool in a dining room, offering mind-blowing reflections. The terrace, the living room, the bathroom were amazing too, but who can forget those colors, the water and the light! Since there is no website for this house, here are some images that are floating around of the web:





[to be continued on how I fell in love again the same day]