a timeless home that mimics nature: casa mague project by mauricio ceballos x architects

architecture by sharina li

located in an ancestral place at malinalco, méxico; surrounded by abundant vegetation, on the slope of a hill next to one of the three monolithic pyramids of the world, an aztec ceremonial center, the site was carefully chosen by the clients due to its unique micro-climate and large trees.

mauricio ceballos x architects approached the project by asking themselves the following questions: “how to create a construction with contemporary language within a pre-hispanic context, which manages to merge with the natural and cultural environment, respecting 100% the existing vegetation? how to develop a flexible and timeless home? and how to develop a construction that mimics nature?”

starting from the pre-hispanic cultural context, and the predominant connection with nature, the concept is based on the mesoamerican worldview, where trees have a ritual meaning.

the roots symbolize the connection with the underworld, the trunks the earthly human life, and the cups the connection with the gods. to emphasize this idea, the project is divided into three levels: the first one, a mirror base that gives continuity to the natural terrain and the roots of the trees, and allows the main volume of the house to…