House & Garden Tour
By Jennifer Hamilton

A family of zebra finches and beautiful dolls from China
Bonus discount!

House & Garden Tour
Sun, Sep 13, tour departs at noon
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
US$15 or 150 pesos
Breakfast at Café Santa Ana starts at 9am

House & Garden Tour ticket-holders receive a bonus 10% discount at La Tienda. Applicable to certain items on Sunday purchases.

1. Entering through a vine-covered arbor one can see “through” this countryside house directly to the back property and its views extending to San Miguel. The long pebbled channel in the entranceway is centered with a delightful cantera fountain and an enchanting stone angel dipping her feet in the pond.

The entrance zaguán sports an impressive painting thought to be from Cuernavaca and several parrots, one of which will definitely say “hola” as you enter. The living and dining areas blend effortlessly into each other, the living room with its ornately carved cantera fireplace and velvet sofa, and the dining table converted from an ancient piece of wood seating eight people. A captivating art deco lamp glows softly in one corner. Blue and white tiles add drama to a kitchen flooded with light from a vaulted ceiling topped by a cúpula. Here, a family of zebra finches hops merrily around in their cage relishing the aroma emanating from the kitchen stove. A small powder room with its purple walls has a Baptismal font sink, and from there we see the intimate sitting room with its leopard skin on the wall. The outside ramada boasts two separate seating areas, a carved cantera fireplace and an ancient wood cabinet containing colorful Mexican plates, candlesticks and other vibrantly colored curios. Another pebbled channel finds its way to a small papyrus-filled pond, from whence can be seen the pastoral countryside, surrounding hillsides and in the far distance, San Miguel itself. Drought-resistant plants in her gardens need little watering and flourish in the high desert countryside.

2. Nestled surreptitiously behind massive iron doors, this nonconformist property was purchased and renovated a few years ago when a debris-filled basement was found under the main dilapidated building and run-down land surrounding it. Nonplussed, the owner saw its potential and went to work with great plans for the property, taking a mere four months with a hard-working crew to complete construction, adding seven casitas and renovating the main house.

The entrance patio contains a beautiful fountain and ancient palm trees; vibrantly colored buildings surround and face the garden. All of the casitas are painted in smashing colors, blending effortlessly wall to wall, and decorated with colorful folk art, paintings, knick-knacks and adornos from all over the world. Many of the countertops are built-in and colored with polished cement adding supplementary color. In sharp contrast, the main open living space is softly hued in light grays offset by the granite countertop in the kitchen area and a round, built-in booth for casual dining. Bookcases contain an abundance of books, folk art, magazines and several beautiful dolls from China. Huge windows with French doors on all sides, one leading to a large deck with 360° views, ensure that an abundance of light enters.