Early Mexican Houses

From 1925 to 1929, two young architectural draftsmen set out to record a select number of examples of the “minor domestic architecture” of Mexico due to a lack of measured drawings of rural ranch houses and Monterey-inspired dwellings. The result is a wonderful collection of houses from the days of Mexico's viceroys, elaborately presented in this handsomely illustrated book. Every aficionado of architecture or home design will find the patios, window designs, and floor plans a delight to look at. Over two-hundred illustrations, including forty-two pages of measured drawings and floor plans, make this a comprehensive reference guide as well as an elegant coffee table book.

Houses of Mexico delves into the roots of the bold yet elegant Mexican style, illustrated with many photographs from Spain and Portugal reflecting the Moorish influence. In addition to extensive coverage of the architecture of the houses, the book shows other spatial and decorative elements, including iron gates and grilles that give an atmosphere of seclusion; stairways that seem to grow out of the walls without any support; and old paintings, combs, ceramics, and character figures used in festivals, as well as ancient pre-Columbian figurines.

Detailed close-up of the architecture of Mexican homes, along with interior views.

Extensively illustrated with detailed site plans and photographs, this architectural history of the Mexican plaza reveals why this central public space has been the heart of the community from ancient Mesoamerican times until the present.

The Mexican House wa originally published in 1960 and focuses mainly on the exterior architecture and details of Mexican domestic building. Facades and arcades, patios and balconies, ironwork and tiles, doors and windows, carved and painted woodwork - all are lovingly captured in the Shipways' evocative black and white photography and very useful drawings.