Have you ever heard of Las Pozas [The Pools, in Spanish]? I have just added it to my list of dream trips. And, I am afraid that by the end of this blog, you will too.
In 1947, Edward James, an eccentric English patron of the Surrealism Culture movement found in Xilitla, a town in the state of San Luis Potosí, in central Mexico, a place to call home. In the middle of a subtropical rainforest, surrounded by waterfalls and natural pools, James decided to create a “Garden of Eden”.
photo by Malcolm Raggett
During the first twenty years, James focused in cultivating tropical plants and raising exotic animals. Scattered around the 80-acre [32-ha] property, there were once 18,000 orchids. However, after an unprecedented frost in 1962 destroyed most of the orchids, James decided to make a more permanent paradise.
For the following two decades, James hired a number of masons, artisans, and local craftsmen to build a series of concrete structures that created a dialogue between art and context. The unpredictability of surrealist lines were directly inspired by the natural landscape that surrounded them. The result, under a pair of designer’s eyes, is simply exhilarating!
By 1984, when James passed away, there were already thirty-six [36] structures in the property. After being under a couple of administrations, the park was finally acquired by Fondo Xilitla, a non-profit organization. And, FX curiously have, among its main supporters, CEMEX, a leader in the cement industry.
Have you already booked your tickets? I N-E-E-D to.
– Andy Vieira
