Customer Reviews

Paraiso Mexicano: Gardens, Landscapes, and Mexican Soul

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Lush. Exotic. Sensual. A photographic examination of many of the superb gardens of Mexico An all too brief (each garden deserves a book in itself) look at Colonial Gardens, Hacienda gardens, gardens of Luis Barragan, and contemporary gardens. Generally each garden has a page of photographs and a page of text. A book to be enjoyed on several levels from the simply pictorial to the philosophy of gardening. A minor distraction is the large number of slightly out of focus photographs. A welcome addition to all gardening libraries both personal and institutional.

The gardens of Mexico are some of the most extraordinary in the world. Many generations Mexico's people have applied their inventiveness to tame their soil using bold combinations of color, plants, and materials.

This book depicts exotic and lush garden spaces. There are dazzling and elegant combinations, interesting use of space that combine fruits, vegetables, spices and medicinal herbs alongside vibrant magenta bougainvillea, blue agave, wild lupine, and dahlias - the national flower of Mexico.

"Paraiso Mexicano : Gardens, Landscapes, and Mexican Soul" has spectacular juxtapositions of color and surfaces; wild cactus and succulents collection bordering views of Valle de Bravo's azure lake and mountains. Or, film legend, Maria Felix's enchanting outdoor mirrored pavilion with Charles X chandelier and Portuguese azulejos converging with saltillo tiles in a pleasing blue and terra cotta composition completing her Cuernavaca tropical garden paradise.

The more than 280 photographs are awe-inspiring illuminations of the rich and complex culture of Mexico.