By the lakeshore of the Cajititlan Lake in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga, Jalisco, lies Cuexcomatitlan, a very small town. It is one of the oldest settlements in the area, with a 1751 convent building and a 1750 church next to it. Missing an urban gesture towards the lake, an architectural project is the opportunity to make up for it. And this is why this project is precisely the chance to let the houses meet the water the best way possible, that is, with a public space between them.
Furthermore, the project completes another purpose: it gives departure and destination for the boats and ferries from Cuexcomatitlan to the Pier of Cajititlan which is right in front, and is also designed by the firm.
So a public square with a boardwalk and a wall of trees give shape to the project which is complimented by a trellis that quite soon brought shadow to those who want to take a seat and stay longer. Held by a series of stone buttresses which in some way match those of the church, the trellis becomes a large green wall.
All material has been chosen to pair that of the Cajititlan Pier because on one side it’s the same water system and same urban area, but on the other side, the firm looked to give it a personality of its own. This is why the stone walls have a volcanic stone border on them and a series of rock spheres proposed by Adrian Guerrero, artist, were placed there. This geometric shape was chosen because it is present in the early constructions of the place, it’s carved in the stones of the temple and in the windows, so the artist also found the chance to make a tribute to the emptiness within it, the useful emptiness in the shape of every pot, as the many, many Prehispanic pots found in Tlajomulco de Zuñiga. So these great balls of quarry, placed as halves, as three quarters or almost complete emerging from the ground, were placed playfully on the plaza.
A combination between architecture, nature and art, is the answer for letting Cuexcomatitlan meet the water while it gives its citizens a place for enjoyment and leisure.
