Customer Reviews

Casa Mexicana

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tim took a wide and diverse subject and wove it into a wonderful reference book. Primarily a photo album, accompanied with words, this book is A++. How could you take a bunch of pigeon cages, paint them different colors, and make a wonderful wall in your home? Or a group of Oriental fans? In reading this book, I sit and wonder how many thousand photos had to be discarded to pull all of this together. Thanks to this book, my wife has decided to redo our ENTIRE house. You have to SEE the photos; words fail to describe it. This may end up being the Most Expensive book I ever purchased.

Casa Mexicana offers stunning photographic portrayals of various periods in the architecture of Mexico, from haciendas to colonial and contemporary architecture. If you enjoy the intermixing of modern and traditional architecture, you'll love this book. And should you become entranced by contemporary Mexican architecture as presented by Mr. Street-Porter, an equally satisfying "sequel" to this book is Mexican Contemporary by Herbert Ypma.

Well, the book does have some nice photos. My copy is in english. However, it really falls short of what was promised. First, there is virtualy nothing in it about architecture. Very few photos of buildings, houses, etc. at all. It's just a collection of photos of the interiors of homes designed by famous people. I was very disappointed. For example, it goes on and on about european homes in mexico -- what does that have to do with mexican styles? If you are looking for a book that is basically a Home & Garden magazine with 270 pages then buy it. Like i said earlier - some nice photos. If you wanted somethign else, then search on. Cause this may leave you unsatisfied.

I bought my copy because of the name, since I am FACINATED with interior design and decorating ideas with ANYTHING Mexican. My text IS in English, and if I would have known it was available in Spanish I would have preferred to have it that way!!

Anyway, this book DOES show the enormous VARIETY of what can truly be called "Mexican": from indigenous homes to still functioning haciendas to colonial-style buildings to the Broque French influence so many of the wealthy class favored before the revolution.

However, for me, it is just too cold, too sterile, for the Mexico I know and love. The colonial and Baroque-influenced homes look more like museums. They look like something only the extraordinarily wealthy could ever even dream of, and are far removed from the comfy, cozy, antique-filled hotels featured in "Mexicolor" or "Mexicasa". There is also a huge, AD NAUSEUM section on modern Mexican architecture -which I LOATHE- and a whole chapter on American, Chicano influenced houses -which I could CARE LESS about. All in all, I have my few favorite pages, which I love and look at repeatedly, but the majority of the book consists of large sections that I skip in their entirety. If you are looking for a treatise on the gamut of architectural styles in the country of Mexico, this is probably a good choice. If you want a book on Mexican interior design and decoration with a passion for things Mexican, this is NOT going to be your first choice.

I am a Mexican woman studying in the USA. I read a commentary above saying that these are European houses, they are not. We were conquered by the Spaniards centuries ago and thus the architectural style blended creating a "Mexican Style". This so called Mexican style includes european traces with Indian influences. This book represents Mexican houses that complies with this style. Obviously you can find native houses following Indian design, but for sure not in any Mexican metropoli.

This book is beautifully photographed, and offers a comprehensive look at Mexican interiors, architecture, and style. The chapters are laid out in chronological order, beginning with primitive architecture and continuing through to modern/contemporary design. Commentary throughout gives historical and social perspectives on the timeline of Mexican design.

This is the best book I've seen on Mexican houses..comprehensive and are they beautifully photographed! and all kinds of examples, from the very oldest colonial, Porfirian, to modern. I
am so glad I got a copy, and too, that I found out about the book, as I wasnt aware of it when it was published some twenty years ago.