Architectural Oddities in Mexico

Discover 25 architectural oddities in Mexico.

Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

Vena Cava

Get three sheets to the wind at this desert winery with a nautical theme.

Barbara Hutton's Japanese palace, in the shadow of the volcano Popocatépetl.

Jiutepec, Mexico

Camino Real Sumiya

The tragic heiress Barbara Woolworth Hutton built her seventh husband this Japanese-inspired palace in Mexico.

Backyard.

Casa Figueroa

This "cursed house" features secret rooms, hidden vaults, and dark escape tunnels.

Universidad 1601.

Mexico City, Mexico

Universidad 1601

Legend says the building's unusual features were added at the request of a paranoid president.

Templo del Señor de los Rayos.

Aguascalientes, Mexico

Templo del Señor de los Rayos (Temple of the Lord of the Rays)

The history of this futuristic crypt-turned-temple is as curious as its facade.

Castillo Ortega-Douglas seen from the street.

Aguascalientes, Mexico

Castillo Ortega-Douglas

In Mexico, an abandoned Scottish-looking castle stands as a tribute to love.

Coffered ceiling.

Mexico City, Mexico

Hellenic Cultural Institute's Coffered Ceiling

This piece of a Renaissance-era Spanish castle remained lost for decades.

The two lighthouses of Puerto Morelos.

Puerto Morelos, Mexico

The Leaning Lighthouse

Still standing despite its considerable slant, this tilted lighthouse has become a local symbol of resilience.

Modernist architecture of the church.

Huauchinango, Mexico

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption)

This modernist church's massive sci-fi dome may be one of Latin America's largest.

Roofless basilica.

Cuilapam de Guerrero, Mexico

Ex-Monastery of Santiago Apóstol

This exquisite example of early colonial architecture remains unfinished almost 500 years after construction began.

An archway in Val'Quirico, its look was inspired by Tuscan architecture and the hacienda's original buildings .

Nativitas, Mexico

Ex Hacienda de Santa Águeda

The grounds of this former dairy hacienda now contain an entire town inspired by Tuscany, Italy.

Garden Santa Fe.

Mexico City, Mexico

Garden Santa Fe

The underground mall's skylights look like they could be part of a spaceship.

Mexico City, Mexico

La Casa de los Azulejos

Once home to an aristocratic family and a workers' organization, this intricately tiled building now houses a chain restaurant.

The head of the stone serpent.

Mexico City, Mexico

Aztec Serpent Head Cornerstone

On a cornerstone of the City Museum is the head of a monstrous serpent stolen from an Aztec pyramid 400 years ago.

Permanently Closed

Joyxee Island.

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Joyxee Island

One man's fulfilled dream of living on an artificial island made of recycled plastic bottles.

"'Surveillance State?' You betcha!"

Mexico City, Mexico

C5

Mexico City's residents are being watched by this state surveillance headquarters, designed by architects with a flair for intimidation.