House & Garden Tour
Sun, Jun, tour departs at noon 
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
US$15 or 150 pesos
Breakfast at Café Santa Ana starts at 9am


House & Garden Tour
By Jennifer Hamilton


Bedouin daggers, hand-painted angel mural and masks from Zacatecas 

1. One of the many homes in this Ojo de Agua area designed by Eric Lans, this delightful house is built on several levels on a tiny cul-de-sac. Before entering, note the outstanding stencil painted around the front door and the massive maceta (pot) with bougainvillea spilling over its side.

The owners moved here in 2004 after spending 20 years in Saudi Arabia. The house reflects their travels and their love of hand-crafted items. The entry showcases a hand-painted cloth from Zimbabwe. The guest bedroom features Suzani curtains from Uzbekistan and a painting incorporating an old bullfight poster over the bed created by local artist Merry Calderoni. The roof garden is an Arab-style entertainment room containing glass table covered in old Bedouin jewelry and daggers. A statue over the fireplace is wearing a Yemeni wedding necklace. The rooftop terrace is serene area to enjoy sunsets and views over the town’s church domes. The master bedroom contains a beautiful doll from Indonesia and is decorated with an antique door found in Saudi Arabia and stained with natural pigments of henna and charcoal. Stone sculptures from Zimbabwe stand on countertops and in nichos. An eminent potter from Jordan created most of the clay pots seen in the sala, which also contains a table from India made from an old door covered in carvings from the Koran. An old Omani chest serves as a side table and the cantera fireplace was carved locally to give the appearance of being centuries old. The dining room contains an Indonesian Ikat weaving and a mirror that reflects the cantera stone fountain in the adjoining atrium. An intimate garden downstairs leads to an “African” room containing several masks and other tribal items. 

2. Three charming apartments on three levels were constructed several years ago after the Agundis family vacated it as their family home.

Walking through the tienda (store) on the street level, we first see a feminine, modern apartment filled with comfortable furniture, beautiful artwork and many of pieces of framed petit-point completed over the years by the owner. One wall of the kitchen is fully mirrored and a Phil Roettinger painting is hanging on another wall. Tragaluces (glass bricks) form a casual eating area. A beautiful oak and glass-bricked bar separates the dining area from the kitchen. One of the bedrooms is used as a mahjong room.

An upstairs apartment retains its Mexican look with original wood floors and comfortable hand-carved wood furniture. In their 16 years here, the owners have decorated it in soft colors, beautiful artwork and a hand-painted angel mural in the romantic bedroom. Plant-filled balconies overlook calle Hernández Macías and offer spectacular sunset views.

Up the narrow geranium-filled staircase is an apartment which was completely refurbished 12 years ago. While the bedroom retains its original wood floors, other flooring was replaced with white tile. Rather than paint the white living/dining/kitchen walls, the owner decided to accentuate them by adding hand-cut tin squares on the kitchen cabinets and filling the walls with paintings created by local artists. The bedroom is filled with old English prints, etchings and masks from Zacatecas. The spacious bathroom displays a collection of the owner’s black and white photographs. Six flower-filled balconies overlook calles Hernández Macías and Canal, with a close-up vista of La Iglesia de la Concepción (Las Monjas).





The House & Garden Tour thanks the following for opening their beautiful homes On Sunday, May 31, 2009

Barbara and Chris Webber
Marcia Ann and Charlie Weber



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

5th Sunday in May for 2008 
No 5th Sunday in 2008 
Year to Date 2008 
4,694 visitors on tour

5th Sunday in May for 2009 19 
visitors on tour
Year to Date 2009 
4,275 visitors on tour