Mexico City was founded initially in 1324 by the Aztecs. Today, it is clearly a different place. From ancient monuments to today’s architectural marvels, all civilizations build; and not only for shelter, habitats or symbols of strength and power. Mexico City is no exception. What distinguishes it is the layering of its history up to today’s futuristic towers. Many ancient cities have older neighborhoods dating over a 1000 years. They have their modern residential or business sectors. They are generally segregated. Mexico City is different. It is layered and integrated. You turn a corner from one street to the other and you are in a different world. Neighborhoods, Roma, Condesa, Polanco or Centro Historico are different. But the city as whole changes with every turn. Let’s take a drive...

Great civilizations build! We build to say we were here. Certainly, there have been many empire-builders in Mexico City. All left their mark. If Roma is known for its Belle Epoque buildings, it does not lack midcentury or contemporary structures. Polanco, immaculate as it is, is full of 1960s and brutalist architecture. The influence of arguably the most famous Mexican architect, Luis Barragan, is inescapable on much of modern architecture. It’s all in the detail. It is in the use of light. It’s in the integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, behind anonymous walls. Check out two stories in our HOME : DESIGN page, Alan Becker and Claudia Fernandez. They are entirely different, but the main principles apply. Visit any modern tower in Santa Fe. Visit Museo Soumaya, or Arcos Bosques. There is huge diversity: Colonial, Mexican Baroque, Belle Epoque, New Spanish Baroque, Neo-Classical , Barragan-inspired, Mid-Century, Contemporary. Take a drive down La Reforma. It is all Mexico City!

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