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All the United States Puerto Rico Las Marías Termitopia
Termitopia is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Termitopia

An artist’s underground sanctuary, 40 years in the making.

Las Marías, Puerto Rico

Added By
Isaac Schultz
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  Courtesy Alexa Harrison
  Courtesy Alexa Harrison
The upper roof deck of Termitopia peeks out above the jungle.   Courtesy Alexa Harrison
  Courtesy Alexa Harrison
Looking across the forest from Termitopia.   Courtesy Alexa Harrison
The mottled concrete structure is adorned with decorative easter eggs.   Courtesy Alexa Harrison
Casa Mucaro   thinkenstein / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Many humans can be merciless when it comes to insects: squash an ant, kill a cockroach, squeal for someone else to take care of that spider. But we have more in common with the creepy crawlies than meets the eye, particularly when it comes to ants and termites: the labyrinthine burrows and towers they call home could be compared to human skyscrapers. For some humans, though, that comparison is not enough. That’s why there’s a human-sized complex of carved termite tunnels atop a mountain in the jungles of Puerto Rico.

Part of the Casa Múcaro art collective, Termitopia is what happens when undaunted creative types forge ahead with a vision, untroubled by the classic ills of populated areas, with the space and freedom to make their own world. In terms of interior design, the structure sits somewhere between the structures of Antonio Gaudí and the ancient underground metropolis of Cappadocia. 

Termitopia is the brainchild of Brian Birdsall, an “artist refugee” from Los Angeles who has spent the last 40 years in the Puerto Rican forest, building the free-form structure. Birdsall built his house using discarded fishnet and a cement he invented himself. Unlike typical human construction, which sees thousands of tons of waste to the landfill in the process, Termitopia is built on the simple, termitic principle that construction is achieved through reusable materials. In this case, that means a human-sized rabbit warren of corridors and chambers slice and dice the subterranea of a mountain near Las Marias.

Birdsall is not all alone in the work. His frequent collaborators, Pablo Verona and Daniel Polnau, are puppeteers and similar free-thinkers in the Puerto Rico art scene, pushing towards a more sustainable form of artwork. The three artists use the “most abundant material out there: trash,” to create a new world in the country’s western jungle.

In Termitopia, you can become dizzy at the amount of human effort it must’ve taken to carve the tunnels and fill the space with sustainably-sourced artwork. From musical PVC piping to looney-toon face sculptures, Termitopia is a world away from what you’ve ever known.

At the apex of the structure, a roof deck allows visitors to gaze across the Puerto Rican jungle below. The entire complex is spellbinding, and is enough for you to forget San Juan, or at least not want to go back anytime soon.

Related Tags

Cities Utopias Buildings Sustainable Architectural Oddities Architecture

Know Before You Go

Termitopia is about a 2 hour drive from San Juan. Though the structure is mostly enclosed, there are stairs and some exposure to the elements, so it would be better to wear tennis shoes than, say, heels.

Community Contributors

Added By

isaacschultz

Edited By

thinkenstein

  • thinkenstein

Published

April 13, 2020

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  • http://loisaida.org/casa-mucaro/
  • https://www.instructables.com/howto/Thinkenstein/
Termitopia
Las Marías, Puerto Rico, 00669
United States
18.24588, -66.934968

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

United States

Places 55
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Levy Mansion (La Rambla)

Lares, Puerto Rico

miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

United States

Places 55
Stories 13

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