Opening wide the ‘Closed Doors’ in Mérida’s historic center

Mérida: A Puertas Abiertas / Behind Closed Doors by Eva Lucía Reyes and Pia Rosado, 271 pp.; English and Spanish; hardcover; MX$1,500

Pia Rosado and Eva Lucía Reyes previewed over 30 restored homes in Mérida’s historic center before choosing 18 to present in their new hard-bound volume. The main criteria were that the homes were in Centro and that their renovation had not wholly wiped away their original flavor. While contemporary styles are represented, new-construction homes were not considered.

Now, Mérida: A Puertas Abiertas / Behind Closed Doors is hot off the press.

“From on-site photography to late-night chats about the cover design, every step has been worth it,” Pia told followers on @lifebypia.

Those steps weren’t always rapid or in a straight line. So why does this book appear so effortless?

It’s probably because this book is a passion project, moving forward for five years of development, no matter how many setbacks, delays and pandemic restrictions got in the way. The lush and elegant edition reflects the authors’ desire to celebrate the city’s architectural grandeur and evolution.

Pia is a retired landscape architect who specialized in residential gardens, parks, and public spaces in Mexico City. In 2018, she published Verde Mexicano: Private Gardens of Contemporary Mexico, with Eva Lucía as the editorial designer, showcasing her passion for green spaces.

Her expertise extends to residential interior design projects in and around the nation’s capital. Pia’s vibrant, light-filled Mérida home in the Santa Ana neighborhood is a case in point.

She was born and raised in Mexico City by parents from Yucatecan families, going back to her illustrious great-grandfather, Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Each summer, she went on childhood trips to her grandparents’ home on Avenida Colón —a house that is now the Club de Leones. Those memories drew her back to Mérida’s Centro in 2015. Her early connection with Mérida’s grand residences is partly what brings her here today.

Co-author Eva Lucía Reyes, who also has a home in the Centro, is a graphic and editorial designer with a professional connection with Yucatán for over 30 years. She collaborated with Fomento Banamex, designing monumental tomes on Maya culture, the region’s magnificent haciendas, and Mexican folk art.

Eva and Pia were aware of the city’s state of abandonment and disrepair, which they learned had become apparent between the 1960s and 1980s. They perceived the incredible revival that was taking place in the area and decided they wanted to share and honor this amazing process of transformation in a book.

A wave of interest from talented visionaries such as John Powell and Josh Ramos, as well as from Mexican architects such as Salvador Reyes, kicked off a series of renovations in the 1990s that rescued historic buildings and reinterpreted the Colonial aesthetic for modern life. The authors refer to these early newcomers as “pioneers.”

The book notes that Mérida’s architecture, following Spanish colonial tradition, has been typically inward-oriented for centuries. One must pass through a home’s front door to appreciate its beauty. Unless you have a master key to every front door in the Centro, that will be impossible. Behind Closed Doors is that passkey.

The limited-edition book debuts Wednesday, Dec. 11 at Casa T’ho, Paseo Montejo and Calle 45, Mérida.