just over two hours southwest of Mexico City by car is home to two historic sites that may seem to represent distinct worlds The first is a complex built by the Aztecs between 1476 or “House of the Eagles,” was built directly into a hillside It is the only example of such rock-cut architecture in the Aztec world The other site is the Augustinian monastery of San Cristobál which was built in 1540 and is still in use today The monastery features vivid murals of biblical scenes that were painted by subjugated Aztecs shortly after its founding Art historian Manuel Aguilar-Moreno of California State University says that native people wove traditional Aztec religious and cosmological beliefs into this artwork “Many aspects of Aztec religion have parallels in Christianity,” he says “and one such parallel is expressed at both the monastery and Cuauhcalli.” Iconography at the temple suggests that it was dedicated to the Aztec sun god who is often depicted as an eagle and was said to have been born to a virgin mother Begin your Malinalco experience by climbing up a hill known as the Cerro de los Idolos to reach the Aztec ruins 700 feet above the town Cuauhcalli stands atop a pyramid platform and is guarded by now-headless statues of jaguars The temple’s doorway was designed to mimic a serpent’s open mouth The thrones were also the setting for rituals involving the Aztec eagle and jaguar warriors which Aguilar-Moreno says represents Huitzilopochtli emerging into the world to lead the conquering Aztecs to the promised land He recommends spending a few hours taking this all in before returning to town to see the monastery a mural of the Garden of Eden—the concept of an earthly paradise was shared by the Aztecs and the Spanish friars—is resplendent with local Mexican animals and plants Though it boasts a burgeoning restaurant and boutique hotel scene Malinalco has retained its traditional sixteenth-century layout and residents still identify strongly with their own barrios be sure to visit the various barrio chapels each of which is dedicated to its own patron saint The new home by COLAR Colectivo de Arquitectura is located at the foot of a large mountain in the town of Malinalco a region characterized by its natural landscapes and abundant vegetation establishing a connection between the project and the natural environment Integration with nature becomes the key element of the project giving the great mountain the leading role The mountain becomes part of the project through the views that the home has towards the mountainous landscape These views are achieved thanks to the large windows that promote the relationship with the exterior landscape and provide light to the interior spaces The architecture studio COLAR Colectivo de Arquitectura follows the concept of “Soft Loft” for the home designing a continuous and open space that enhances a feeling of spaciousness through high ceilings and large windows that create a physical and visual connection between the interior and exterior framing the natural landscapes of the place To reinforce the idea of ​​a natural environment a garden with a green area is designed that acts as an integrating element with the landscape pays homage to the construction traditions of Malinalco in addition to seeking integration with the surrounding landscape countertops and bathrooms are polished concrete whose color is obtained by mixing cement with local soil The use of white stucco as a final finish for the roof and walls creates a continuous space where the mountain and its natural landscape stand out Stone dwelling by COLAR Colectivo de Arquitectura Project description by COLAR Colectivo de Arquitectura The house is located at the foot of an imposing mountain a region known for its lush vegetation and unique landscapes The house makes the most of the unique views harmoniously integrating with both the natural environment and the existing country house enhancing the connection between the living space and the surrounding landscape The project follows the concept of “Soft Loft” The open design of the space highlights freedom of movement maximizing the feeling of spaciousness through high ceilings and large windows that frame the landscape and allow for a deep visual and physical connection between the interior and exterior Integration with nature is key: the mountain becomes the protagonist of the space using large windows that enhance its presence encourage interaction and provide abundant natural light The house has a constructed area of ​​72 square meters complemented by a terrace with a jacuzzi and an interstitial garden which reinforce the experience of connection with the natural environment This garden also creates a green area that acts as a visual barrier and as an integrating element of the landscape The fireplace plays a central role in the project but also as a key element in the spatial configuration defining areas without interrupting the continuity of the space The choice of materials reflects the desire to integrate with the local landscape and take advantage of the construction traditions of Malinalco paying homage to the traditional architecture of the region and taking advantage of the skills of local builders in handling stone and quarry countertops and bathrooms are finished with polished concrete whose color is obtained by mixing cement with local soil resulting in a unique tone that reinforces the connection between the project and its surroundings The roof structure is made up of beams and vaults This creates a continuous and fluid atmosphere in which the stone walls and the framed views of the mountain and the landscape stand out The carpentry seeks to show part of the tradition of Malinalco providing an artisanal element that reinforces the identity of the place The use of local techniques and materials also reduces the ecological footprint of the project COLAR Colectivo de Arquitectura Lead architects.- Santiago Constantino De Angoitia Structural Engineering.- Virgilio Domínguez Ariadna Polo.  COLAR is an architecture collective founded in Mexico in 2021 by Santiago Constantino the collective incorporates the vision that a shared together with a multidisciplinary approach and an attentive listening to the circumstances and agents involved in the process necessarily produce a different way of approaching the development of proposals or projects resulting more satisfactory for all actors The emergence of this joint search offers greater richness and complexity opening the doors to the sum of knowledge and know-how both inside and outside the design process thus guaranteeing a better understanding and approach to each case COLAR Architecture Collective is based on the premise that there are different ways of approaching architectural practice This search finds its path through the growing opportunities of distance connectivity from different territories and with the breadth and richness that this entails a (non-physical) place emerges in which to develop such practice The collective sees in contemporary practice and its socio-environmental limitations an opportunity to propose conscious adequate to the spatial and emotional needs of the users Each project is understood as a set of particularities of the place (physical social and cultural context) and of the users (needs Space should not be understood only as a physical form but as the result of the dynamic interaction between human needs Contemplating all possible variables opens the way to the encounter between ideas and matter seeking an honest expression of architecture responding to each of the requests in a particular way Archive HOUSING The little-known Mexican town of Malinalco is an oasis of peace of peace and history — and perhaps the next San Miguel de Allende Mexico — On my journey through the less-populated mountainous region of the state of Mexico that abuts the nation’s capital I quickly became aware of leaving 18 million people behind and the bus was moving quickly through the countryside stopping only for anybody with a few pesos who needed a ride What I couldn’t yet fathom was how this led toward anywhere worth going to especially since my search was for some corner of tranquillity where walking was the principal means of transportation but there were enough creature comforts for a good night’s sleep and some Internet surfing I was already worried about finding an ATM and at that moment in the careening bus eventually hooking up with a restroom A taxi ride finally got me to where I was bound: Malinalco dubbed by some as the new San Miguel de Allende San Miguel was also once a quiet getaway before it was discovered first by American and Canadian retirees and now by weekend hipsters from Mexico City and elsewhere There are a number of hotels in Malinalco of varying levels of comfort but a gentlemanly caretaker was waiting for me Casa Mora can be best appreciated in the daytime such as mine called “Impressionism,” are decorated with Mora’s paintings but I found myself looking at them again and again The old hacienda-style home has a homey living room containing the lodging’s only television but there is Internet service in the rooms and food and drinks can easily be arranged A hearty breakfast is included in the price Easy as it might be to just hang at the hacienda there is a very cool town out there with deep Indian cultural roots and sites to explore which is liveliest on weekends when there’s an outdoor market and the best restaurants are open The restaurant Las Palomas is the best known for Mexican food and trout The Augustinian monastery is a grand sight with carefully preserved frescoes and a towering grandeur apart from being just a cool place to walk around Getting to the Aztec ruins — mostly a temple carved directly into stone — is a good hike This has never happened to me during 18 years in Mexico but the park attendant insisted I sign in and provide identification Malinalco is divided into nine barrios (neighborhoods) and the taxis are also cheap once you’ve done enough walking and are ready for a beer downtown Guests planning to enjoy the spacious Casa Mora rooms with a book or a laptop into the night should stock up in advance on refreshments and munchies There’s always a debate in these special corners of Mexico on whether to promote tourism or not But Malinalco doesn’t seem to have to worry about that It’s still far enough from main tourist routes to keep many visitors away and too quiet for most there are towns such as San Miguel de Allende that while now bigger and louder are also more interesting to a new crowd of people who want to party a little Malinalco deserves its reputation as a place to re-energize Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser with a design that carefully considers nature and the pre-hispanic history of the place which was chosen by the clients for its unique micro-climate and large trees borders the cerro de los idolos (hill of the idols) which is where the aztecs carved a ceremonial center out of the mountainside.   images by diego padilla magallanes when they first embarked on the design process, the team at MCXA considered the following questions: how to create a construction with contemporary language within a pre-hispanic context which manages to merge with the natural and cultural environment respecting 100% of the existing vegetation how to develop a flexible and timeless home how to develop a construction that mimics nature they decided to follow the mesoamerican worldview where trees have a symbolic meaning from the roots they divided the project into three levels: the first one a mirror base that reflects the ground and gives the architecture an appearance of floating; then all on the same level where everyday life occurs; finally the natural outer cover formed by the foliage of the trees when arranging the residential program on the site MCXA was careful not to disturb any existing trees resulting in a floor plan that meanders around nature the house is made up of a series of flexible volumes that are divided by open spaces including the main circulation and residents are always in close contact with nature as they go about their day the main feature of the project has to be the open living room that echos the nearby aztec structure with pyramid-like blocks of wood that curve up and around there’s also a jacuzzi and a fire pit made from stone in reference to the ‘molcajete’ which is a tool traditionally used in mexican cuisine.  the design is dominated by natural and local materials such as wood stone and chukum (ancient mayan stucco). MCXA also prioritized sustainability on the project with a number of strategies: minimal footprint reduction of energy consumption through lights and sensors management of waste for the creation of compost using only local materials with low levels of VOC architect: mauricio ceballos x architects construction administration: esmeralda bañales photography: diego padilla magallanes | @diegopadillama happening now! partnering with antonio citterio, AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function, but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style, context, and personal expression. Census data shows more than 1 million Mexicans and their families left the U.S in one of the largest mass migrations in modern history But stricter immigration enforcement and new opportunities in Mexico have reversed the trend many are returning to towns like Malinalco a rural community southwest of Mexico City The home that American dollars built stands out among the dusty adobe farmhouses and crumbling concrete shacks on the edge of this rural Mexican town Visitors may wryly refer to it as a “hacienda” because of its grandiose touches — the elaborate wooden entryway the curved staircase leading up to the front door — but with its red brick pitched roof and garage sheltering a bright blue SUV what it really looks like is a little bit of Texas That’s where German and Gloria Almanza spent two decades toiling in factories and building cleaning and repairing other people’s homes so that one day they could make a place of their own back in Mexico — a place to finish raising their two kids When in 2012 the couple brought their children back to their hometown of Malinalco a picturesque pueblo two hours southwest of Mexico City Census data show more than 1 million Mexicans and their families left the U.S and fewer made their way north — a major demographic shift that is reshaping the immigration equation and having profound effects on both countries drawn home by new economic opportunities in Mexico the impact of the Great Recession on the U.S job market and in many cases the irresistible lure of family Others have been forced out by an increase in deportations from communities in the interior of the U.S Security along the Southwest border has also been beefed up significantly making crossings so dangerous and expensive that many no longer try whose economies once were infused with money sent home from fathers some of whom have lived like Americans for years Coming home can be a powerful emotional experience Those returning with savings can use their capital and skills learned in the U.S Schools are struggling to integrate an influx of new students including a large number of youngsters born in the U.S who often aren’t fluent in Spanish and lack the necessary identity documents to enroll Returnees must readjust to the culture and leaner paychecks of Mexico where the average hourly wage is less than $2.50 And many families now have children in the U.S. “Families are now mixed-nationality families, and that’s not something policy tends to understand,” said Ellen Calmus, who runs the Corner Institute a migrant support organization in Malinalco The children of returning migrants are especially vulnerable often without full access to services and education in either country “This is going to have costs for all of us down the road,” she said The house they built on a hill across from a picturesque church has it all — a gorgeous kitchen two bathrooms and a big bedroom for each of the children the rooms look like those of any busy teenager There is only one thing missing from the home that their American dollars built: the kids German slipped on scuffed cowboy boots and started work at the construction site of a house down the road from his own sliced into an iron post with a high-powered saw that he brought back from Texas He paused for a moment to wipe sweat from his brow and readjust the Ace Hardware ball cap he brought back from Texas it has felt like there aren’t enough hours in the day for him to finish all his work with its brightly painted colonial-era homes and historic churches has transformed into a popular tourist destination for both Mexico’s elite and its growing middle class hiking to the Aztec ruins perched atop a nearby hillside and strolling cobblestone streets with ice cream or a michelada in hand The town German and his wife left nearly two decades earlier has changed A currency crisis had sparked a nationwide recession and the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement were beginning to be felt with agricultural workers on the outskirts of town struggling to compete with cheaper U.S German left in 1995 after graduating high school He was one of close to 3 million Mexican immigrants who crossed into the U.S and between 2009 and 2014 it fell to about 870,000 German has a good job with the government helping to maintain the municipality’s water system He also manages an avocado farm and an outdoor event space for weddings and other parties that he and his wife built from scratch German has been scrambling to finish up the house down the street this two-story stucco structure sticks out so much from the others that locals have started using it as a landmark when giving directions (“turn left at the tall pink house”) One day soon it will be occupied by his brother who is sending money to pay for it from Texas stopping for only a few moments just after noon to gulp down sweet agua fresca and a hot lunch cooked by Gloria whom he started dating when he was just 15 pulling weeds at the event space and distilling a local liquor to sell to neighbors on the side They work because that is what they have always done And they work because they don’t want to spend long days in an empty house sat his parents down and told them he wanted to go home He grew up playing football — the American kind — and eating Texas chili not the Spanish-language music his parents favored He had just finished seventh grade in 2012 when his parents told him and his sister to pack their things for the move to Mexico He spent the next four years dreaming about the day he would come back Gloria and German supported his decision to return to the U.S. build a future for their children in Mexico Both had grown up on the impoverished outskirts of Malinalco where cobblestone gave way to dirt roads and fields planted with corn and squash German was the oldest child of a couple who sold slow-cooked barbacoa along the one-lane highway that led to town Gloria was one of five sisters who chafed under their machista father who barred his girls from looking for work even if it meant them dropping out of school for lack of funds Both grew up fighting their siblings for space in one-room adobe shacks Both knew they wanted something different for their children — a good education and a house with indoor plumbing “Come with me,” German implored Gloria on a visit to Mexico after he had been working for a year in Costa Mesa as a roofer They paid a smuggler $500 to cross the border and set off for Texas where a friend of German’s said jobs were more plentiful and rent was cheaper than in California “You go to work and then you come back here,” was German’s mantra as they neared the border “Our future is here in Mexico,” he insisted The couple got jobs at a factory in Athens Gloria sold tamales to the town’s growing community of Latino immigrants She was 21 when she gave birth to Danny and 22 when she had Mally — a name her parents thought sounded American but also reminded them of Malinalco where police gave out tickets when people broke the law where a bribe could get somebody out of anything Sometimes his bosses invited the family over to their big homes for barbecue dinners But underneath the smiling Texas hospitality something felt amiss The Almanzas were unnerved by the way families burrowed in their sprawling homes in the suburbs where homes were crowded with aunts and cousins and every year each of the town’s neighborhoods hosted elaborate feast-day festivals and people danced until sunrise German didn’t like that his kids were growing up without knowing their grandparents that they took for granted that the refrigerator was “like a grocery store,” always filled with food he and Gloria worked until late each night While NAFTA had brutalized Mexico’s agricultural communities — forcing an estimated 2 million people off their farms and creating deep pockets of poverty in parts of the country — free trade had helped expand Mexico’s middle class by more than 11% between 2000 and 2010 a scenic town that had famously been a training ground for Aztec warriors was well poised to capitalize on that growth In 2010 Malinalco was declared a “Magic Pueblo” by Mexico’s tourism secretary freeing up federal money to help make the town more attractive to tourists and cafes selling lattes started springing up So even as they were building lives in Texas German had crossed back into Mexico several times to build their house on the hill “We wanted to be closer to each other,” Gloria said “They needed to visualize another way of living,” German said of his kids The years after they came back to Mexico were the happiest of Gloria and German’s lives the family would cheer on German as he played soccer at a grassy pitch with gorgeous mountain views they ate together at a pretty wooden table in their impressive new house Danny’s clumsy Spanish was the butt of jokes Bullies stole his backpack and tried to goad him into fights They listened to Spanish rap and made fun of his taste for Coldplay hoping his father would feel guilty and send him back to the U.S The ploy didn’t work — German transferred him to another school told her parents she wanted to join her brother but she wanted to finish her senior year in the U.S There was another reason Mally wanted to return: She was pregnant and she feared that it might be a hassle getting the baby U.S citizenship if the child wasn’t born on American soil Her parents said goodbye to her this year as she boarded a plane in Mexico City Danny’s cat Gonzalo and Mally’s cat Venvena mewed often the Almanzas have peered at the computer screen over bittersweet video chats to see Mally’s stomach grow They have watched their teenagers making a life for themselves in a small trailer back in Athens they share with a cousin Each day German and Gloria wake up thinking about joining them “I want to be with them so much,” German thinks But the border that allowed generations of migrants to cross easily back and forth between the U.S A journey that once cost $500 now costs $7,000 which President Trump hopes to extend across the entire U.S.-Mexico dividing line has forced migrants to take riskier routes and pay off the drug traffickers who increasingly control them has also taken a darker turn for immigrants in the country illegally inspired by Trump’s tough talk on immigration passed a bill that permits police officers to question a suspect's immigration status Parts of the law have been blocked by a federal court Some white Americans seem to regard him differently including one neighbor who has started calling the police when he and his cousin spend days fixing their cars in their yard Generations of Mexican children grew up with a parent absent — Mom or Dad working in the U.S and sneaking home for visits on Christmas and Easter is facing the same challenge and heartbreak Gloria and German hopped in their SUV and drove out along a bumpy dirt road to the plot of land where they had planted avocado trees They didn’t know their daughter had gone into labor and would soon give birth to a boy while friends in Texas were having a baby shower for Mally German played soccer with some friends while Gloria cleaned the house alone patting corn dough into a metal press and warming the tortillas on a griddle She stirs a pot of soup or prepares tacos and pours tall glasses of agua fresca and they sit down together — just the two of them at a table built for six kate.linthicum@latimes.com @katelinthicum ​​​​​​​katie.falkenberg@latimes.com @katiefalkenberg Additional credits: Produced by Sean Greene and Iris Lee Kate Linthicum is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map << back to main page Dining and living room from one side of L-shaped courtyard One wall of the house was painted pink at the suggestion of Architect Luis Barragan Click here for printer-friendly version Wonderfully contemporary; the lush plants make it organic and so inviting." View of south entrance from reflecting pool For The Wild preserves Earth's natural communities through land conservation Register: Earthly Reads Book Study \u2192 We use cookies to track visits to our website and to help our website run effectively Photo by Claudia Serrato of a collection of fire-blackened earthen clay pots hanging from hooks on a stone wall located in Malinalco Claudia Serrato opens our minds to the sensual and vital nature of our relationship to food Our bodies are a landscape in their own right and with Indigenous feminist theory in mind this episode bears wittness to the cycles of gastronmies and of life that keep us tied to the earth Claudia turns to her own landscape to remind us that there are times to dry up and times to bloom.   To consume food means that we enter into a relationship with it– we physically embody it In this conversation Claudia and Ayana dive into what that relationship could be and how embodiment may be a spiritual quest Honoring foodways and the gifts of the earth is about more than just changing our diets How might we honor both where we came from and where we are now in ways that respect traditional foodways alongside place-based geographies/ food ways?  Throughout the episode Ayana and Claudia dig deep into food and the memories around it– from the sensuality of texture to the way tastes for food are passed down through the womb Claudia explains what it might mean to eat for the next seven generations and how such future visions are tied to a greater decolonial project as decolonizing the body and the landscape also means decolonizing the kitchen Through the sacred work of food sovereignty a better palate – one that resists the violence of colonization and globalization Claudia Serrato is a cultural and culinary anthropologist and cooking up decolonized flavors for over a decade by ReIndigenizing her diet with Mesoamerican foods and foodways ♫ The music featured in this episode is “Wood Drops” by Justin Crawmer, “El Lenguaje de las Plantas” by Julio Kintu (Chloe Utley), and “Mujer Torbellino” by PALO-MA (Paola De La Concha) Decolonization is not a Metaphor by Eve Tuck and K “Ecological Indigenous Foodways and the Healing of All our Relations”  by Claudia Serrato in Journal for Critical Animal Studies  Through food, language and dance, Latinos preserve their unique cultural identities - ABC News  The Body of the Conquistador: Food, Race and the Colonial Experience in Spanish America by Rebecca Earle Recovering Our Ancestor's Gardens by Devon Abbot Mihesuah Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer On Decoloniality: Concepts, Analytics and Praxis by Walter D Mignolo and Catherine E Walsh For The Wild is a slow media organization dedicated to land-based protection We are rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy As we dream towards a world of grounded justice and reciprocity our work highlights impactful stories and deeply-felt meaning making as balms for these times All Rights Reserved © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) For The Wild™ Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information about two hours’ drive southwest from the capital, has been an under-the-radar escape for locals A new mezcal designation is raising its profile XLinkedInEmailLinkGiftFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftBy Michael SnyderNovember 26 2018 at 5:30 AM ESTBookmarkSaveIf you stand in the middle of Malinalco’s central plaza—a pastoral square surrounded by sheer volcanic rock faces cloaked in flowering subtropical forest—it’s hard to imagine that Mexico City the hemisphere’s largest metropolis with some 20 million people But though Malinalco is a popular weekend getaway among artists and musicians from the capital its superlative waterfalls and colonial chapels and a magnificent Aztec ruin are little-known to most foreign visitors the project of the civil-society organisation Fundación Comunitaria Malinalco has managed to build 30 stoves known as “Tlecuil Alessia” The main aim of these stoves is to avoid smoke in the kitchen and with this Using it represents a saving of 40 % of the firewood consumed in an open fire and reduces household fuel collection time With 28,000 inhabitants and limited infrastructure more than 30 % of Malinalco’s population lives in homes without ovens This increases the development of respiratory ailments This problem affects women the most.  The wood-saving stove project has succeeded in linking women to share knowledge stories and recipes from one community to another “The majority of the participation in the project comes from the women and at the end of the day they are the ones who are going to use them,” says Adrián Brito environmental culture coordinator at Fundaci´on Comunitaria Malinalco the strategy has been extended to strengthen rural schools enrolled in the Mexico state’s “Desayuno Escolar Caliente” (Hot School Breakfast) programme This programme aims to address food insecurity and child malnutrition in the state where 33.5 % of Malinalco’s population lacks access to nutritious and quality food.  eleven rural schools are enrolled in the programme in Malinalco The programme operates through the creation of School Breakfast Committees made up of mothers who is one of the women benefiting from the programme mentions that the eco-technique improves her quality of life by not breathing the smoke that comes out of the stove we would make about two,” which means savings for the family economy Through an environmental culture programme the community foundation was able to raise awareness among 78 students in fifth and sixth grade 17 parents who are part of the committees of the state’s programme participated in the construction of four wood-saving stoves in the rural communities of Palmar de Guadalupe Noxtepec de Zaragoza and Santa Maria Xoquiac These communities are located close to important forest areas where logging is uncontrolled The project has been successful in schools by involving children in knowledge and appropriation of eco-techniques There are seven remaining elementary schools enrolled in the Desayuno Caliente programme Fundación Comunitaria Malinalco hopes to generate new proposals to follow up on the stoves by incorporating the educational component of eco-technology in primary schools Pamela Cruz is the Special Projects Coordinator at Comunalia, a network of community foundations in Mexico.pamela.cruzm@gmail.com Malinalco, in addition to being a city with a rich mythological and historical past, is also known to have one of the highest biodiversity in Mexico Mauricio Ceballos x Architects' Casa Mague is a project that is a careful and sensitive architectural intervention that considers the environment and pre-Hispanic history of its location The site was chosen for its unique micro-climate and its proximity to an Aztec ceremonial carving on a mountainside Casa Mague is a residential space that draws its concept from the Mesoamerican worldview The project has three levels; the first is a mirror base that reflects the ground and makes the house appear as if it were floating The living spaces are located at the same level And the natural outer cover is formed by the foliage of the trees The design and setting of the project are driven by Mexican architect Mauricio Ceballos' desire to construct a home that did not displace the existing nature the experience of walking through the house is that of a meandering hike the house is made up of a series of flexible volumes that are segmented by open spaces including the main circulation In architecture there are certain base elements that one always assumes are a given - four walls The fragmented layout of Casa Mague questions this assumption in subtle ways The fragmented rectilinear plan sees four bedrooms located on the west of the project while the east consists of the living room These two segments meet in the middle of the open-air living room This is also the primary access to the building the roof structure is not supported by walls it is held up by a set of two staircases leading to nowhere The space underneath these stairs is used as a storeroom The form of the stairs is meant to resemble the Mesoamerican architecture of the ziggurats It is an interesting detail that highlights the diversification of the elements of architecture beyond their canonical function In an attempt to be closer to nature, most of the spaces within the residential home are accessed through an open corridor or terraces It is a detail that allows the indoors to become the outdoors and creates a lasting connection between nature and the residents The corridor is largely open and acts as a guide that leads people across the whole structure it leads to the four bedrooms each fitted with an ensuite The segment of the corridor leading to the rooms features numerous potted plants or incorporates existing trees One of the existing trees sits between the entrance of bedroom 4 and a solid wall of bedroom 3 All of the bedrooms have the option of opening out into the surrounding landscape all the external walls of the bedroom feature large glass fenestrations looking out into nature while all the inward-facing walls are blank The central segment of Casa Mague isn't just an open-air entity When one considers the typology of courtyard homes one would observe how programmatically these courtyards act as a nexus from which the home bifurcates While in this case the central open to air space is not defined as a courtyard it serves a similar function Leading away from the jacuzzi and living room is an open-air dining room with an attached utility counter The eastern segment of the project consists of three large functions namely a TV room a studio and a large dining and kitchen area The TV room and studio share a single volume and have glass windows on both the north and south façade This creates a visual connection through the space itself Angled away from the main building is a unit that houses a large community kitchen and dining room Detached from the central structure of the kitchen and dining unit is a large glass structure that resembles a greenhouse Seating over 15 people the dining room is designed as a community space for all the occupants of the home Devanshi is responsible for thinking of new and original approaches to architectural writing she has a Master’s degree in History and Critical Thinking from the Architectural Association Devanshi has a certificate in Curatorial Studies and co-curated an exhibition at A plus A Gallery She has been teaching at institutes in Mumbai since 2018 From vernacular knowledge to modern sustainability Qatar and others at La Biennale 2025 serve as living archives of alternative architectures STIR engages with the curators of the Togo Oman and Qatar pavilions—debuting at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025—on representation the book presents a fictional story depicting algorithms exercising control over humans and how this affects the built environment Tipnis shares how the toolbox democratises the practice of restoration via DIY resources to repair tangible urban heritage made of common building materials Exclusive preview for subscribers. Learn More Make your fridays matter. Learn More © Copyright 2019-2025 STIR Design Private Limited Please confirm your email address and we’ll send you a link to reset your password All your bookmarks will be available across all your devices Password must be 8 characters long including one capital letter By creating an account, you acknowledge and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy by STIR Select the Conversation Category you would like to watch Please enter your details and click submit Single account access for STIRworld.com,STIRpad.com and exclusive STIRfri content Verification link sent to check your inbox or spam folder to complete sign up process by Devanshi Shah | Published on : Jan 29, 2022 As the cell door slammed behind him at an immigrant detention center in Detroit Jose Roberto Tetatzin knew his life as an American was about to come to an abrupt end He thought about all the things he had acquired over 10 years of hard work in Michigan: the apartment full of furniture citizens who until that morning had such bright futures ahead of them Tetatzin knew he was going to be deported to his native Mexico or should the whole family relocate to Mexico he talked through the dilemma with other detained immigrant fathers in the same situation When Tetatzin was finally deported in 2015 in connection with a drunk driving conviction two years earlier he was part of a large wave of Mexicans returning home a reversal of the largest flow of incoming migrants in modern U.S history and a significant new chapter in the immigration narrative that has long dominated U.S Some have returned to reconnect with family or take advantage of new opportunities in Mexico where a declining birth rate means less competition for jobs the trend has sparked both hope and concern in Mexico Many view the large numbers coming back as brimming with potential Many returnees bring home English and other skills learned in the U.S But others in Mexico are concerned; they fear unwanted competition for jobs or worry that deportees sent home for committing crimes could worsen the country’s already high levels of violence as his parents picked him up at the airport in Mexico City and drove him home to Malinalco Tetatzin saw a town full of fancy new hotels and restaurants that had appeared during his 10-year absence Global companies seeking cheap labor and easy access to U.S markets had opened factories in parts of Mexico and poured in investments Though wages were still much lower than in the U.S. build homes and take vacations in pretty towns like Malinalco all Tetatzin could think about was getting money together to pay a coyote to smuggle him back north It hurt watching Lesli celebrate her 1st birthday in Michigan by video chat from 2,000 miles away a felony punishable by up to two years in prison “They need your fatherly support,” she said furniture and electronics they’d amassed during their decade in America and bought three plane tickets back to Mexico They left as soon as the girls’ royal-blue U.S Angela’s fourth-grade teacher wrote that question on the whiteboard and gave his students 15 minutes to compose a response with shiny brown hair tied back with a bow Angela brought the tip of a worn pencil to her lips as a warm breeze parted the curtains a burst of fireworks exploded over Malinalco in celebration of yet another feast day her sister and her mother first arrived at what would become their new home Past an imposing metal gate near the center of town they entered a concrete patio lined with pots of fragrant flowers On one side was the house where Tetatzin’s grandmother On the other was the still-unfinished house Tetatzin had helped pay for by waking up before dawn on cold Michigan mornings to plow snow Tetatzin tearfully embraced Gudino and the girls and then introduced them for the first time to his parents and his younger brother Tetatzin and his brood took over a single room on the first floor Angela was used to grocery stores so big a child could easily get lost in the aisles not a weekly street market where farmers laid out tomatoes chile peppers and tropical fruits on blankets on the ground She was used to the menus at McDonald's and Subway not small stands where women fried quesadillas and gorditas on the street unused to the bacteria unique to Mexico’s tap water who had never tasted real cow's milk in her bottle A doctor recommended that Angela go easy on the spicy food and that the baby get powdered formula On her bewildering first day at Miguel Hidalgo Elementary Angela didn’t know that her school’s namesake white-haired man whose face graced her blue uniform was a leader of the Mexican War of Independence Her parents didn’t know that they were expected to bring her a meal at lunchtime too embarrassed to ask the other kids to share Despite the fact that many American citizens have been enrolled at her school—nearly half a million children who are U.S according to the government—there was not a single English-speaking teacher on campus When she replied to her teacher’s questions in her native tongue all he could do was shrug his shoulders apologetically while her classmates laughed Angela didn’t know that one was expected to greet strangers in Mexico with a soft kiss on the cheek or how to ask for a soda at the corner store “People thought: ‘Who is this weird little girl?’” her father said who knew exactly what it was like to be a stranger in a strange land Tetatzin had spent his 20s living in Michigan raking leaves and earning more money than he had ever thought possible growing up in Malinalco as a taxi driver’s kid bought a succession of ever-nicer vehicles and always dressed in crisp pants and fashionable shirts But not even a new pair of jeans or a new Chevy truck could mask the feeling that he was an outsider “Those are our jobs!” a passerby once screamed as Tetatzin toiled on a landscaping job with other Latino immigrants “You don’t have the right to be in our country!” immigrants were quietly powering this stretch of eastern Michigan that had fallen on hard times as the auto industry faltered and built homes and office buildings and churches for their American-born neighbors and the state wouldn’t even give them driver's licenses And yet he felt like a second-class citizen He had married a fellow immigrant without papers shortly after he crossed into the U.S but the lives of his parents and brother seemed increasingly distant but now he sometimes skipped work to sleep off his hangovers he saw red and blue lights flash in his rearview mirror Things started to change when he met Gudino She vividly remembers seeing him for the first time reclined on a staircase at a Thanksgiving dinner in Pontiac She had recently separated from Angela’s father and was working as a housekeeper at a Holiday Inn With the tips she collected scrubbing toilets and making beds she sent back money to a younger brother in Michoacan at age 18 after her truck-driver father left to start another family they danced cumbia together late into the night When Tetatzin asked her out on a date a few days later they’d take Angela somewhere special for dinner first carried herself with a straight back and the self-confidence instilled in American schoolchildren She liked Tetatzin so much she gave him an American nickname: Robby Tetatzin traded in his Chevy truck for a Dodge Caravan and went to work harder than ever often coming home after the girls had already gone to bed As he drove the family around in the minivan he would catch himself smiling and think: “Wow the Spanish-language television channels in the U.S had been reporting an increase in immigration arrests under President Obama whom activists had dubbed “deporter-in-chief” because of his focus on deporting immigrants convicted of crimes Now Donald Trump was campaigning for president and telling cheering stadium crowds that Mexican immigrants were often drug dealers and rapists “He’s a bad man,” Angela declared one day while watching the news Tetatzin scanned the streets for police or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents He knew something as simple as a broken taillight or a roll through a stop sign could start the domino effect toward deportation it was his DUI that caught the attention of immigration agents They stopped him a few blocks from his apartment on his way to work “Buenos dias,” he said on repeat every time he left the house exchanging smiles with people he had known since he was a child When he spied an older woman struggling to take out her trash he would scurry over and carry it to the garbage truck himself He re-immersed in the religious and cultural ceremonies he had forgotten while living in the U.S When his family hosted a large altar to the Virgin Mary at home for several days as part of a local Catholic tradition It filled his heart to see Angela reciting prayers in front of their neighbors and his father explaining to the girls what it all meant Tetatzin had left for work before sunrise and come back long after dark; now he ate breakfast and dinner with his family and traversed the city without fear of the police There were more opportunities for work than when he had left Malinalco’s historic basilica and pretty town square had earned it a place in the Mexican government’s “Pueblo Magico” program designed to draw tourists to the country’s picturesque historical towns Now there were restaurants selling artisanal pizzas and eco-resorts that ran entirely on solar power Gudino and Tetatzin had started with a simple street stall selling orange juice and yogurt in the mornings he was offered a job as a groundskeeper of a hotel thanks to his English and landscaping experience less than he would make in two hours of work in the U.S It might take him a lifetime of work at those wages to buy a car Tetatzin decided he and Gudino should speak only in Spanish — creating their own immersion program for Angela and Lesli Angela would get frustrated when she didn’t understand what they were saying but she still sat with Tetatzin every day as he taught her new phrases She learned to work harder than her classmates as other students folded notes and paper airplanes and exasperated their teacher by repeatedly sounding fart noises Angela was bent close to her notebook finishing several long division problems the teacher had asked the class to complete She worked until she got all the answers right clapping her hands excitedly when he finally gave her the coveted check mark that meant that she had completed the assignment The school was starting a new program that trained a small group of superior students as tutors to help kids who were struggling Angela could have benefited as a recipient of the help her teacher was asking if she would be a tutor Please come Monday morning for the training The fireworks that had started that morning were now bursting with more frequency One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and Angela and her family were headed to a church there for the festivities toting heavy wooden planks laced with flowers that would soon be erected on the church facade A stocky man in a white cowboy hat rang the church bells wildly skipping around with a wide smile on her face even though the phone calls with her birth father Tetatzin encouraged Gudino to take her daughter’s hand katie.falkenberg@latimes.com Yet he yearned for paychecks that would allow him to save a little “This is the last time,” he promised his y Agustin Poblete Ortega stopped by his wife’s house to tell her he was leaving again Her whole life she had been surrounded by men who had gone north And while her relationship with Poblete had been rocky over the last year — she had moved out of his family’s house because of his drinking — he was a good father to their two young daughters to tell him about the sick feeling in her stomach If Poblete was addicted to alcohol — he could never have just one tequila or beer — he was also addicted to American wages he had grown accustomed to earning $15 an hour he chafed as bosses handed him the equivalent of just $10 after a day of hard work He had been part of a large wave of Mexicans returning home in recent years a phenomenon fueled by harsher conditions in the U.S and new opportunities back home that is upending the immigration narrative on both sides of the border Coming back to Mexico is not easy for everybody who had tasted the good life north of the border the real winners in Mexico’s growing economy seemed to be the millionaire business and political leaders who arrived by helicopter to play at Malinalco’s exclusive golf resort — not high school dropouts like him Poblete knew that sneaking into the United States had become more dangerous than ever Migrants died dodging immigration agents in the desert heat drowned crossing the Rio Grande and suffocated in the back of sweltering tractor-trailers He wanted to build a home in Malinalco for Nava and the kids and get his life on track “This is the last time,” he promised his younger brother before he left Nava’s phone lighted up with messages as her husband made his way north and then waited at the border Criminal groups were moving drugs across the desert and his smuggler had counseled waiting till it was clear Then Poblete sent a message saying he would be crossing that night “Take care of the kids,” he implored again He told her he would call soon to say: “Hey But several days passed and the phone didn’t ring Some of his friends figured he had been caught by immigration agents when she first noticed Poblete walking down one of the city’s narrow Born and raised in a poor Malinalco family had left for the United States as a young man He had come back to Mexico to visit his family after working there on and off for more than a decade his suitcase stuffed with a television and other gifts for his parents Malinalco was teeming with ex-migrants like him There was the taxi driver who worked for years as a coyote in Arizona earning $200 per person to ferry migrants who had just crossed the border to cities like Atlanta There was the man who came back from the U.S enough to build a modest resort for vacationers visiting from Mexico City There was the restaurant server deported from Illinois who worried about never being able to see his children again Ex-migrant musicians sang ballads about life in the U.S Others formed activist groups to demand more help from the Mexican government One was even running for governor of Mexico state like others who had come back from the U.S. was different than those who had never left While many in this stretch of Mexico still wear boots and cowboy hats They were the kind of clothes you’d expect to see at a weekend barbecue in Georgia He sported just one marker of his place of birth: a drawing of the city of Malinalco tattooed on his right calf Nava doesn’t remember what he said the day when he first approached her on the street but she remembers noticing how he filled a room but she was so impressed with the adventures he recounted and the flowers he brought that she didn’t think about the age difference much Soon he was spending nights at her house and they were arguing playfully over which music to listen to — Nava’s favored cumbia heading north along with her sister’s husband Both men were about to have families and wanted to earn fast cash She was 13 when her father had left for the U.S. part of a wave of migrants who fled Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s because of soaring unemployment and inflation Her dad promised to send money home and quickly return developed an alcohol addiction and started a whole new family Nava had dreamed of getting a degree in psychology she was forced to stop studying after high school Her brothers couldn’t afford to continue their studies either but they decided together to name their little girl Abril Abril was already a year old when Poblete came home When the money Poblete had made in the U.S his mother hired him at the small restaurant she ran near the river on the edge of town She had opened the restaurant — a little stall next to a man-made pond stocked with trout — decades ago and then have Poblete’s mother cook it for them with a little pineapple and salsa After Malinalco was named a “Magic Pueblo” by the federal government crews had paved the roads near the trout lake and dozens of other restaurants and two water parks had opened nearby Mexico’s expanding middle class meant that each year more and more tourists poured into Malinalco on weekends to escape smoggy Mexico City Poblete and his three brothers had grown up near the stand earning their first pesos cleaning fresh-caught fish After years earning much better money working in construction in Georgia He started spending his nights drinking with friends Sometimes he would show up to work so hung over he could barely take orders That’s when the downhill spiral accelerated She decided to move her daughters to her grandfather’s house so they wouldn’t see their father so out of control Nava’s 85-year-old grandfather was hit by a motorcycle as he walked in Malinalco’s central plaza She was reeling from his death when Poblete came by to tell her he was leaving again As the days and then weeks passed with no word from him Day of the Dead was around the corner — time to prepare an altar for those who had died in the previous year arranging an offering of marigolds and sweet mole at an altar for her grandfather when Poblete’s mother called She had been contacted by the Mexican Consulate in El Paso A body had been discovered in the New Mexico desert to look at photos of the body taken by the coroner’s office There was the tattoo of Malinalco on Poblete’s calf she didn’t have the heart to tell her daughters although they knew something was horribly wrong even after one of her younger daughter’s classmates told her: “Your dad is dead.” “I’m afraid they’ll see me cry,” Nava explained to Ellen Calmus director of an immigrant advocacy organization that was helping her get Poblete’s body transported back to Mexico “Maybe seeing you cry will allow them to experience the pain,” Calmus told her it was Calmus who told the girls what had happened Nava felt like there was no room for all her agony who had persevered after her husband made a new family told her to concentrate on being a strong mom the Mexican government sets aside special funding for the dignified return of bodies His funeral drew 300 people to the soaring old cathedral in the center of town Then began the somber procession toward the graveyard As the family trudged slowly to the cemetery but as the men drank and danced alongside his coffin she knew that if Poblete was watching from somewhere he would be happy to see that his funeral had turned into a fiesta and both girls had been in trouble for fighting there was a week when Nava didn’t leave her bedroom for days The antidepressants Nava was prescribed have helped she was getting ready to finish her shift at Poblete’s mother’s restaurant where she recently got a job serving trout and frothy piña coladas She had hoped to leave early to take the girls to a street festival in town But then a large family of tourists walked in just before closing About half of them were Mexican American — U.S citizens visiting family members who live in the area Their legal immigration status meant they could come and go and be carefree together By the time Nava arrived to pick up the girls at her mother’s house Abril was sick and had been throwing up all day “I’ll take her to the doctor tomorrow,” Nava said “You need to take her tonight,” her mother insisted So she took her girls by the hand and headed for the clinic The musicians wore cowboy hats and shiny red suits and each made the sign of the cross before starting to play give me all of it,” the band leader wailed The crowd swayed together under a giant tarp After two years of restrictions amid the Covid crisis Mexicans prepare to make the most of this year’s Día de Muertos with several days of festivities Photograph: Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media/Getty Images Photograph: Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock Photograph: Arturo Hernández/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock Photograph: Mariana Gutierrez/Eyepix Group/Eyepix/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock Photograph: Carlos Tischler/Eyepix Group/Rex/Shutterstock Photograph: Héctor Adolfo Quintanar Pérez/ZUMA/ REX/Shutterstock Photograph: Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Images The Natlan map updated in Genshin Impact 5.2 has 13 more Viewpoints that can be unlocked and added to the Archive. As with the previous 14 Viewpoints in Natlan 5.0 some of the new ones are locked behind world quests This article lists the locations of the 13 new Viewpoints added to the Natlan map in Genshin Impact 5.2 This Genshin Impact Viewpoint is located underground Teleport to the underground waypoint northeast of the Tezcatepetonco Range Statue of the Seven (the one located at the entrance of the Tenebrous Papilla Boss cave) Destroy the spiderwebs to proceed and use the Iktomisaurus's Skill to enter through the secret passage behind the wall (marked by a red symbol) The Viewpoint will be located in this secret area proceed forward from the previous location Solve a series of puzzles to get further underground Solving the puzzles will also reward you with a new Natlan book titled The Tale of Kuntur This Viewpoint is situated right next to the southwestern Flower-Feather Clan Teleport Waypoint It provides a birds-eye view of the entire Flower-Feather Clan Teleport to the northern Flower-Feather Clan Teleport Waypoint turn straight around and climb up to the deck of the hot-air balloon situated right behind This Viewpoint is situated right beside the Tezcatepetonco Range Statue of the Seven It gives a great view of the main settlement of the Masters of the Night-Wind tribe Teleport to the waypoint northeast of the Tezcatepetonco Range Statue of the Seven jump straight down and glide till you come across a small camp with a few Glowing Hornshroom near it You can collect one Radiant Spincrystal from this location This Viewpoint is situated underground near the Masters of the Night-Wind Obsidian Totem Pole Teleport to the Obsidian Totem Pole and turn straight around to reach the Viewpoint This Viewpoint is located northwest of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame Teleport to the waypoint directly northwest of the main Stadium of the Sacred Flame area and the Viewpoint will be right in front of you Teleport to the Ochkanatlan Statue of the Seven Start the world quest City Buried by Ash to unlock the Statue The Viewpoint is situated right in front of the Ochkanatlan Statue of the Seven complete the Mystery of Tecoloapan Beach world quest You will be teleported to the Viewpoint immediately after the quest ends so you don't need to navigate to it yourself This Viewpoint can be unlocked while playing the Palace of the Vision Serpent world quest After you get to a certain point in the quest you will reach the area where this Viewpoint is located This Viewpoint can be unlocked right after starting The Other Side of the Sky world quest You can unlock it while playing the quest or come back to this location later To unlock this Viewpoint, complete the entirety of the Open Your Heart to Me world quest The Viewpoint is straight west from the main arena where you finish the quest Follow Sportskeeda for more Genshin Impact news, updates, and guides Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer Your perspective matters!Start the conversation PAY ATTENTION: Read YEN News now on Facebook Broadcast Channel. Click and follow now! Retired teacher Tesha Martinez and her husband swapped their home in the bustling city for a new life in Mexico's first cohousing project for silver-haired citizens It was a decision motivated in part by a wariness of nursing and retirement homes in a country whose family-oriented culture means relatives have traditionally cared for the elderly On a plot of land surrounded by forests and mountains a group of 30 senior citizens have built six houses in Malinalco a peaceful tourist town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Mexico City Six of them already live at "La Guancha" -- where there are plans to build nine more houses -- while the rest come and go but hope to eventually spend the rest of their lives there "In my working life I gave and devoted myself because I received a salary Now it's different because it's about collaborating," said Francisco Vigil PAY ATTENTION: Your voice can be decisive. Choose best actors, comedians, dancers, and influencers in the country in terms of YEN Entertainment Awards 2024: 3rd Edition - VOTE NOW. "I've learned that giving is much more satisfying than I could have imagined," the 61-year-old former automotive industry worker said In front of a large shared garden and a swimming pool Vigil said the couple wanted their children to have lives of their own And they themselves want to grow old in more comfort than their parents The elderly "never get the care they need -- they're very alone," said Martinez The project was launched in 2009 by social sciences academic Margarita Maass aiming to improve the quality of life of older adults Maass teamed up with acquaintances to buy the plot of land where its current owners built houses with walls of straw and clay They installed solar heaters for the water which comes from rain and a canal fed by rivers "Cohousing is a very good solution for people who are alone," Maass said "People without much money share expenses and people with health problems share a doctor," she added the group "decides how they want their home the people and the financial resources," Maass said The concept of cohousing emerged in Denmark in the 1960s and has since spread to other countries where children have traditionally taken on much of the responsibility for care of the elderly It is a trend that could continue due to population aging in the nation of around 129 million While Mexico is still a relatively young country the proportion of the population aged 60 and over increased from 12.3 percent to 14.7 percent between 2018 and 2023 The fertility rate meanwhile fell from 2.07 to 1.60 children per woman on average is among those who does not plan to have children He worries about not having "enough support or a place to live" when he gets older Maass thinks collaborative housing could be the answer She recalled a resident who had Alzheimer's disease and enjoyed his time at "La Guancha" playing dominoes Martinez has also tried to integrate herself into the local community in Malinalco where about two-thirds of people live in poverty She teaches English and is involved in a ceramics workshop -- all part of what she calls her "new life" among friends PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!