The Luis Barragan Tour

An iconic figure of modern Mexican architecture and one of the fathers of Emotional Architecture, Luis Barragan’s designs reflect a universal view of architecture, successfully combining his native heritage and diverse influences from Europe and Africa. A master of shapes, textures, shadows, and light, he skillfully integrates each of these elements into his own remarkably unique creations. Whether he developed low-income housing, high-end residential projects or even public spaces, the work of Barragan is always characterized by clean, straight lines, textured surfaces and bright, cheerful tones.

The Luis Barragan Tour offers two different itineraries depending on your preferences and which day of the week you choose to travel. Both include exclusive access to private properties and other works Luis Barragán designed in Mexico City.

All Luis Barragan tours are given by licensed architects and available in English, Spanish or French.

1. The Luis Barragan Tour: Northern Itinerary

Sites included: Towers of Satélite, Fountain of the Lovers, Cuadra San Cristóbal, El Bebedero, Casa Ortega and the Ortega gardens and a few functionalist buildings if time allows.

Our first and recommended itinerary of our Luis Barragan Tour will be of approximately 7-8 hours and will explore northern and central Mexico City, starting with the Towers of Satélite (Torres de Satélite), which Barragan designed in collaboration with Mathias Goeritz, an architec/sculptor and close friend in 1957. The Towers of Satélite were Mexico’s first large scale urban sculptures.  From there we will head to “el Fraccionamiento de Los Clubes”, a gated community which houses “La Fuente de Los Amantes” or The Fountain of the Lovers, and La Cuadra San Cristóbal a property housing a horse ranch and stables that Barragan built for the Egerstrom family between the years of 1966 and 1968. We will then make our way to the Paseo de Los Gigantes (The Promenade of The Giants named after its tall eucalyptus trees) to visit the Bebedero (the Through) and its white wall. Once asked why he had built it, Barragan simply replied: “so that the shadows of the nearby trees could rest on it”. You will picnic there before heading back into town to see some of Barragan’s earlier functionalist in the neighborhoods of Cuauhtémoc and San Rafael before heading to finish our tour at Casa Ortega for a visit of the property and its gardens. For those of you who will have opted to visit Casa Barragan (Luis Barragan’s personal house which is now a museum), we will wrap up the day there before dropping you off at the end of the day at your hotel or wherever you will be staying.

2. The Luis Barragan Tour: Southern Itinerary

Sites included: Convent of las Capuchinas, Casa Pedregal (aka Casa Prieto López), UNAM stop and Casa Gilardi.

On our southern route, we will explore the south of Mexico City where Barragán undertook a series of projects. First, we will head to the Convent of Las Capuchinas (also known as the Convento de las Capuchinas or the Nasturtiums chapel). It is believed that his strong faith may have influenced him to design and even finance the construction of the convent. From there, we will make our way to University City, UNAM’s main campus to take an up-close look at some of the work of designer Clara Porset’s who often designed furniture for Luis Barragan. We will then take a break to enjoy a healthy snack/picnic on campus, or a lunch at the cafeteria of the School of Architecture. After the lunch break, we will head to Casa Prieto López (1947-1951), also known as Casa Pedregal, designed and built for the Prieto Lopez family between 1947 and 1951 in the residential area of the Pedregal that sit on top of former lava fields. From there we will make our way towards Casa Gilardi built for Francisco Gilardi and Martin Luque in 1976 and Barragan’s last residential before the architect passed away in 1988. Prior to dropping you off at your hotel or wherever you are staying, and if time permits, we drive by La Condesa and Cuauhtémoc neighborhoods to discover some the earlier works Luis Barragan designed during his second stage and which were strongly influenced by functionalism: a series of apartment buildings constructed between 1936 and 1940 and primarily meant to address social and economic needs. Finally, for those of you who will have opted for a visit of Casa Barragan, we will tour the architect’s personal residence which remains exactly as he left it, showcasing personal souvenirs, furniture, books, artwork and more.

A suggested read before your tour: Alice Gregory’s New Yorker story on Luis Barragan

For direct access to the story, please visit the New Yorker’s site

All Luis Barragan tours are given by professional architects and offer exclusive access to private properties and other works Barragan’s designed. Stops include:

• Torres de Satélite or Satellite Towers a Barragan/Goeritz/Reyes project (Northern itinerary only)
• Convent of Las Capuchinas (Southern Itinerary only)
• Fuente de los Amantes or the Fountain of the Lovers (Northern itinerary only)
• La Cuadra San Cristóbal a private property with stables (Northern itinerary only)
• Visit of various residential houses and buildings Barragan designed during his second stage (both itineraries)
• Casa Ortega and its gardens (northern itinerary only)
• Casa Gilardi (Southern Itinerary only)
• Casa Pedregal also known as Casa Prieto Lopez (southern itinerary)
• Scheduled tour of Luis Barragan’s house and studio (optional)

Your Luis Barragan tour includes:

• Transportation in a VW Beetle convertible or vintage VW Combi bus
• Your guide (a licensed architect) during the 7-8 hour tour
• All private property admission fees
• Photo permit for all locations except Casa Gilardi, and Casa Barragán (when booked)
• Bottled water
• Coffee break
• Hotel pick-up & drop-off (for private tours only). Shared tours pick-up location is at the Hotel Camino Real Polanco
• Optional picnic meal (available at checkout)

Not included in your Luis Barragan tour are:

• Meals* aside from your snack if you do not opt for our picnic option at checkout
• Photo permits at Casa Gilardi and Casa Barragán* (optional)
• Entrance fee to the Casa/Estudio Luis Barragán (optional) and photo permit
• Hotel pick-ups for shared tours
• Purchases you may choose to make along the way
• Gratuities you may choose to give at your discretion

* Although our tours focus on private properties and other sites Luis Barragán designed, we offer our guest the possibility of visiting Casa Barragán on an optional basis. Because of time constraints, ticket availability and visiting hours, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to visit the museum on the same day as your tour or that we will be able to secure you access on a very short notice. If your tickets to Casa Barragán are on a different day than your scheduled tour, transportation there and back from the museum is not included.

Rates for The Luis Barragan Tour:

Northern itinerary:

•   Shared tour: $225.00 per person (no minimum booking requirement, but tours will only be scheduled if 3 or more participants sign up)
•   Private tour: $295.00 per person (minimum of 2 people)
•   Solo passenger tour: $495.00 per person
  

Southern itinerary: Add $35.00 USD per person to the rates listed above.

* Children ages 7-14 pay half-price.