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We’ve teamed up with Dezeen, one of the most influential design platforms in the world, to create a special guide that celebrates the architectural soul of Mexico City. Dezeen has always been about spotlighting the best in design, and for us, it’s the perfect partner to bring our vision of the city’s architecture and richness.
The city’s surfaces are memory, imprint, and identity. Each material tells a story — an era, a style, and a cultural vision. This guide offers a visual and editorial journey through the textures and materials that define Mexico City, focusing on the Roma, Juárez, and Centro Histórico neighborhoods.

Palacio Postal

Inaugurated in 1907 during the Porfiriato, it combines Neo-Gothic, Venetian, and Art Nouveau influences in an architecture that celebrates maximal ornamentation. Its main structure is made of steel, while the facade mixes light-colored cantera stone with finely crafted metal details. It is a space where metal, glass, and stone coexist to create an almost cinematographic atmosphere. Every surface shines or reflects light, making it one of the most iconic examples of the material luxury of early 20th-century Mexico.

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Museo Tamayo

Inaugurated in 1981 and designed by Teodoro González de León and Abraham Zabludovsky, the Museo Tamayo is an icon of Mexican modernism integrated into the landscape of Chapultepec Park. Its architecture is based on pyramidal volumes of striated white concrete that evoke pre-Hispanic platforms reinterpreted through a minimalist lens. The building seems to emerge from the ground, blending with its surroundings through its texture
and geometry.

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Palacio de Iturbide

Built in the 18th century, the Palacio de Iturbide is one of the finest examples of New Spanish Baroque in Mexico City. Its facade combines red tezontle stone with light-colored cantera, creating a chromatic and tactile contrast that makes it instantly recognizable. The carved balconies, cornices, and ornamental details showcase the mastery of viceregal stonework.

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Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de México

One of the most spectacular interiors in the capital. Originally inaugurated in 1899 as the “Centro Mercantil”, the building was transformed into a hotel in 1968, preserving its impressive Art Nouveau architecture. Its most iconic element is the Tiffany stained-glass ceiling that crowns the lobby: a monumental piece designed in Paris and assembled in Mexico, bathing the interior in warm, multicolored light. The space is accompanied by wrought-iron railings, original cage-style elevators, and marble and bronze details that highlight the Porfirian luxury of early
20th-century Mexico.

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Palacio de Bellas Artes

The most emblematic work of architectural eclecticism in Mexico. Its exterior combines a steel structure with white Carrara marble and a dome clad in golden and reddish tones, creating a monumental silhouette in the Historic Center.

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Biblioteca de Vasconcelos

The Vasconcelos Library is one of the most emblematic contemporary buildings in Mexico City. Conceived as a public “mega-library”, its architecture combines concrete, steel, and glass to create a monumental space that seems suspended in the air. The interior is defined by its floating shelves, metallic walkways, and exposed structure that generates a feeling of infinite depth.

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Studio davidpompa

Located at Colima 264, in the heart of Roma Norte, Casa Colima is a sober and elegant example of Porfirian residential architecture. Its material identity is defined by the gray cantera stone that covers the facade and entrances, creating a classical rhythm of openings, cornices, and moldings that reflect the transition between the late Porfiriato and the beginnings of modernity in the neighborhood.

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Contramar

Contramar has become a contemporary classic that combines a relaxed atmosphere with a very defined material design. Its visual identity revolves around terrazzo: the neutral-toned floor and the blue terrazzo bar create a fresh, maritime, and modern language. The woven palm mats placed on the ceiling generate a sense of warmth in the interior, a material deeply rooted in Mexican culture.

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Casa de los Azulejos

One of the most emblematic buildings in the Historic Center. Its facade covered with blue and white poblano tiles has become a symbol of Mexico City. This building stands out for its viceregal elegance, wrought-iron balconies, and the iconic corridor with columns and murals that leads to the central courtyard. Today a Sanborns occupies the interior, preserving historical elements such as the José Clemente Orozco mural and its impressive staircase. It is a meeting point where history, architecture, and daily life converge in the heart of the city.

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Superficies Vivas

A Material Guide in collaboration with Dezeen designed by SAVVY

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