La Casa Del Pueblo, Its History, Magnificent Architecture, And Legacy

La Casa del Pueblo (The People’s House) is one of the most striking examples of Mayan Revival architecture in the capital of Yucatán; however, it is significantly less well-known or visited than El Monumento a la Patria or Parque de las Américas. 

La Casa del Pueblo began operating in 1916 as the headquarters for Yucatán’s Partido Popular Socialista. However, its current iteration was completed in 1928. The party was founded by Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a former governor of Indigenous origin who was famous for scandalizing the upper crust by delivering his fiery speeches in Yucatec Maya. But Carillo Puerto would not live to see the completed Casa del Pueblo, as he was assassinated in 1924. 

These days, it’s easy to gaze on La Casa del Pueblo as simply an example of fabulously executed syncretic architecture, but the reality is considerably more complicated. Like all great architecture, La Casa del Pueblo, during the early 20th Century, when the wounds of the Caste War were still part of living memory, conveyed a powerful symbolic message. 

Unlike El Monumento a la Patria, built to bring Yucatán into the national fold by combining pre-Hispanic elements and revolutionary fervor, La Casa del Pueblo was understood to convey a message of defiance and social justice. The message: “We are still here and demand respect and social justice”. 

During its first few decades, La Casa del Pueblo served as a gathering place where hundreds of people would come to seek work through job boards, receive medical consultations, and obtain free medication. It also functioned as a crucial hub for the formation of numerous workers’ unions, many of which remain active today. In this sense, it very much was “La Casa del Pueblo.”

Another notable aspect of La Casa del Pueblo is its location on Calle 65 between 48 and 50. This point is relevant as it is a considerable distance away (especially back in the 1920s) from the established centers of the powerful elite, and other grand structures of its time built further north on Paseo de Montejo, Itzimná, or Avenida Colón. This south-north divide in Mérida remains extremely obvious to anyone paying even a modicum of attention.  

With the onset of the Cold War and pressure from the United States to squash anything that even hinted at the Soviet Union’s communist ideals, the influence of Partido Popular Socialista began to wane. However, it would continue to exist, at least on paper, until 1997, when the political party officially lost its registry.  

Now, without the funds to keep up the massive Casa del Pueblo, the former socialist headquarters was taken over by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI, which governed Mexico with an iron grip from the post-revolutionary period of the 1930s until the year 2000, when it lost the presidency and the governorship of most states for the first time.

Today, La Casa del Pueblo, though still beautiful, appears in a state of relative disrepair, though it is maintained fairly tidy. Aside from the architecture, visitors will notice how empty this massive building feels, with just a handful of people walking around its corridors. It’s hard to imagine that Felipe Carillo Puerto would be happy about the change in the building’s stewardship. 

Like most Maya Revival structures, La Casa del Pueblo draws much of its inspiration from famous ancient archaeological sites, especially Uxmal and, especially, Chichén Itzá, which itself has a great deal of Toltec influence. 

The Toltec influence (a Nahua people originally from further north) is expressed in many ways, but notably in the figures of the “Atlantes” that adorn a Prehispanic altar of sorts bearing the image of Felipe Carillo Puerto, also known as the martyr of the proletariat. 

But the first immediately striking feature of the building is the feathered serpents that adorn several of the building’s entrances, just as they do at ancient cities like Mayapán and, of course, Chichén Itzá. Most doorways and large windows also follow the Maya convention of the Corbel Archway, which, because of their large size, is very inviting, independently of their contribution to the overall aesthetic.

Aside from these grand features, the façade is also rich in more minor details that demand a few minutes to really appreciate, including depictions of animals sacred to the Maya, such as snakes and jaguars. 

In the interior, the ceramic-paste floors with Maya motifs certainly draw the eye, as do the seemingly out-of-place French-style columns and ceilings. However, as is the case in virtually all examples, Maya Revival architecture, such as architecturally syncretic elements, is to be expected, after all, during the 19th and early 20th century, most grand architectural projects were handled by European architects, including the Italian Ángel Bacchini, who was entrusted to tackle La Casa del Pueblo. 

Further into the interior of La Casa del Pueblo, past a larger-than-life bust of Emiliano Zapata, is a large atrium which predates the rest of the structure and, to this day, has a tin roof. It’s easy to imagine a young Felipe Carillo Puerto at the front delivering a powerful speech in Yucatec-Maya, as figures of two Chac Mool and rulers from antiquity looked down from above.