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Published: July 26th 2015
Gotta confess. There was nothing dangerous about it. Mostly, it felt like cheating. We were armchair builders, watching our Mexican house happen in photos, two borders and 5000 kilometres away from us. All summer long, we sat in a double armchair up north, supervising complicated instalments as if they were easy, destroying and reconstructing like we were gods.
But let me back up. I was the one who, after a year of looking, found the spot. Stumbling onto it, I felt goose bumps rise on the back of my neck. The house was tall and dilapidated, with a magnificent jungle in the backyard, the kind that holds promise. There was nothing redeemable about the house itself and it didn’t take much persuading to have it torn down. But the land was something else. A double lot in the centre of the historic town of San Miguel de Allende is a precious commodity. Most lots are single, and houses are built upwards to take advantage of the city view. Rooftop gardens abound.
Right from the start, we knew we wanted a hacienda instead. Falling into cliché, we had to have the real deal: an oasis of
old stone, palm trees and purple bougainvillea. Many design articles later, we refined the look. Sober and elegant like the architecture of Spain or Morocco but with a particular San Miguel twist. A nod to the traditional but a deep bow to contemporary. A blend of the natural materials of the region combined with the luxury that comes from European-style modernity. Hand-made meets exquisite design. No awkward edges.
It helps that we found the ideal team in Olga and Trish. More than anything else – their skill, patience and determination– these women were KIND. Olga Hernandez Flores was our architect. She harnessed all her vivacious energy to sit for hours pouring over photos until we both had terrible cricks in our necks. The best thing about Olga? She listened. And the best thing about our project manager, Trish? She was there.
I’m sorry that I can’t make this account more interesting. Because Olga listened and Trish was there, we had no problems. None. There were no famous fights with neighbours. No stumbling blocks with officialdom. No unreliable workers. No shoddy workmanship. No vandalism. Since we were living on Callejon de los Muertos which gives
access to San Miguel’s oldest cemetery, we secretly hoped to unearth gold coins or other graveyard trinkets, but there were none. We made no gruesome discoveries.
Instead, we discovered that Mexican workers are reliable and industrious. They show up at seven-thirty on the dot, pause for a communal lunch, then continue working until daylight is gone. They took down the old house, brick by brick, without a single power tool. And put the new one up just as steadily. They carry boulders on their backs with Sisyphean strength. They are unreservedly obliging.
We discovered that stereotypes mocking the Mexican work ethic are not to be borne.
Living in the apartment, the income-generating part of the house, allowed us to be on-hand for the construction of the rest. It also taught us a ton of new words; notably, suelo (dirt), ruido (noise), lodo (mud) and polvo (dust). But not a dirty, noisy, muddy, dusty day went by we didn’t look forward to. We woke up to the rumble of the crew driving their new-old motorcycles to work. They bought those bikes from their earnings! And after they fired up their engines and went home, we traipsed
around by moonlight in the rubble of the back yard, amazed by what had been accomplished that day. That was another word that we learned: escombros (rubble). From the rubble that was nothing, a whole new house was emerging. Our house.
It was quite a feeling.
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Miri Garaway
non-member comment
WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY VENTURE
Liz and Ron, How wonderful to see all your plans come to fruition. Through hard work, patience and vision, you created a masterpiece that is truly unique. Well done! Although you had an excellent team to work with, you were the driving forces. With your warm, welcome way of being, I am sure those workers were proud of their accomplishment. May you enjoy many happy and healthy years in your new home.