A general plan dated 16 December 1966 shows the final design, along with annotations by Barragán regarding the landscaping. His instructions detailed the placement of new trees, mainly ash and alder, near the outer limits of the compound, thereby controlling the key views. Cuadra San Cristóbal was built in two stages, starting with the stables in the course of 1967 and continuing with the residence, which was completed by 1968.

As built, the various elements of the compound precisely guide the visual and spatial experience of the viewer. A long wall finished in pink stucco defines the north–south axis of the plot, dividing it into two portions: a narrower section to the west and an area roughly three times larger to the east. The former is reserved for the private spaces of the residence, comprising the bedroom wing with an adjacent patio and swimming pool. The main residential spaces as well as the equestrian facilities are located in the area east of the axis wall. Two large rectangular portals, corresponding to the height of horses with riders, pierce the dividing wall and connect the different parts of the estate both visually and physically. At the centre of the site, a gently sloping basin serves as a pool for the horses. Early plans and sketches explored the idea of an aqueduct on pillars to feed the basin, but this concept was ultimately abandoned in favour of a massive wall carrying water to a large spout at its end, thus forming a monumental fountain perpendicular to the pink wall.

The northern boundary of the compound is closed off by the imposing facade of the granary. The large horizontal elevation is painted pink and flanked by a lower wall finished in purple, with a pivoting metal gate of the same colour. Two vertical slits in the pink facade provide ventilation to the hay piled behind it, and a small square window at the opposite end illuminates a service room. With its sparse openings, the clean plane of the facade provides a striking backdrop to the grand courtyard. The thundering water from the fountain, rough flagstone paving in the water basin, ochre surfaces of rammed earth and green expanses of grass and pasture are combined in a spectacular juxtaposition of texture, shape, colour and sound. Together, they transform the outdoor spaces of Cuadra San Cristóbal into a staged setting for its inhabitants – elevating the movements, shapes and rhythms of humans and horses to a heightened level of experience.

The wall running north to south across the compound also defines the layout of the private residence by separating the entrance and living areas in the east from the bedroom wing in the west. A vestibule in the central core gives way to the interconnected living and dining rooms. Enclosed between two walls, a staircase leads to the upper floor, where a large studio opens to a roof terrace. From the kitchen, a separate flight of stairs provides access to the service accommodations and facilities. The monumentally elemental, yet precisely nuanced design of Cuadra San Cristóbal rests on the functional and aesthetic principles of Modernism. At the same time, it evokes the landscapes, ranches and haciendas of rural Mexico, filtered through Barragán’s personal memories and creative interpretation.

Armando Salas Portugal was commissioned by Barragán to produce a photographic survey of the project. He created two complementary sets of photos: one in black and white concentrating on the play of shapes, volumes and shadows, and another capturing the sensuous richness of textures and colours. His images convey a scene that appears removed from the real world, where the ancient rituals of equestrian breeding and training play out in a modern setting with contemporary accoutrements. In this place of tranquillity and rigour, time seems to stand still, and the surrounding urban agglomeration evaporates.

The iconic character of the complex was immediately evident upon its completion. Cuadra San Cristóbal started to attract visitors and admirers from Mexico and abroad, including several renowned photographers, whose pictures are also in the holdings of the Barragán Archive. Along with the early photographic documentation by Armando Salas Portugal, these testify to the original appearance of the estate. They are all the more important, given the fact that the surroundings have changed dramatically, even while the building complex has been lovingly preserved by the owners. The hayfields to the west and the racecourse of the Club Hípico Francés in the east have all disappeared, and new buildings have deleted any trace of the once serene surroundings that were part of Barragán’s vision.

The personal residence built by Barragán in 1948 at 14 Calle Francisco Ramírez in Mexico City, where he lived and worked until his death, is one of his undisputed masterpieces. The experience of the interior – which simultaneously embraces modernity and tradition in a contemporary interpretation of the domestic space – has an emotional component that continues to fascinate.

The various areas are arranged as a close sequence of carefully staged scenes unfolding at each successive viewpoint, richly layered with narrative references. The rationality of the geometric layout and functional organization typical of mid-century modern residential design is subtly subverted here, as a series of orchestrated views triggers a chain of sensuous responses and associations. Eluding any easy categorization, the whole spatial experience is best conveyed with emotive language; commentators refer to the house with words such as “enchantment” and “spellbound”, terms more commonly found in a lyric work than in the architectural discourse. Barragán himself pointed to this in his Pritzker Prize acceptance speech.

In this seminal work, the architect harmoniously united a series of seemingly irreconcilable dualities: interior and exterior, natural and artificial, close and distant, visible and invisible, contemporary and timeless. The result is an environment in which visitors cannot help but pause, suspended between the sensorial dynamic of moving through the house and its reflective, tranquil dimension.

The project documentation in the Barragán Archive includes several original plans and a collection of photographs. Most of these were produced by Armando Salas Portugal, whose iconic images came to represent the house with their portrayal of key features. Over the years, other photographers contributed their own complementary interpretations.

Construction work was likely completed towards the end of summer 1948. Seen from the street, the building presents an intentionally unassuming envelope. The house appears as a compact block divided into two separate functional areas: the kitchen, dining room and breakfast nook are situated on the garden side of the ground floor, with the garage and service areas on the street side; the double-height living room extends across the depth of the house. The first floor contains two bedrooms and a hall between the landing of the main staircase and a further flight of steps leading to the upper terrace.

While the core elements of the design were realized in 1948 according to the early plans, the ultimate coherence of the house as an architectural manifesto was accomplished over time, with a series of gradual alterations. One of the most significant interventions concerned the redesign of the living room’s glazed opening towards the garden. There the metal lattice of the glazed surface was replaced by four large panes of glass supported by a thin cruciform structure fixed directly into the side walls, ceiling and floor. This design masterfully redefined the relation between interior and exterior by nearly dissolving the visual boundary. At the mezzanine level, an open patio was transformed into a guest room. On the top level of the house, the roof terrace underwent a radical transformation: originally configured as a space partially open towards the garden, it became fully enclosed by high walls and insulated from any external visual interference.

The preserved photographic documentation allows for an appreciation of more transient elements in the spaces Barragán occupied for forty years, such as decorative objects, furniture, artworks and other visual references that accompanied his everyday life. Their careful selection and arrangement, together with the tactile and visual qualities of the materials and finishes, confirm the nature of the Barragán House as a gesamtkunstwerk.

Adjacent to the residence, the plot at 12 Calle Francisco Ramírez was occupied by the architect’s studio. With its own access from the street, the studio constituted an independent, self-contained unit, linked to the private realm of the residence by a door that is discreetly integrated at the intersection of the library and living room. When built in 1948, a floor-to-ceiling glazed opening on the west wall provided a strong visual connection with the outdoors, where a semi-enclosed courtyard gave way to the garden. The paved terrace was set flush with the inside flooring to create a continuous transition between interior and exterior. Over the years, new needs for privacy arose, leading to the separation of the residence and adjoining workspace. The full-height glazed opening was filled in and the entire outdoor area enclosed by walls. Further, minor interventions concerning the internal organization of the areas at the front influenced the redesign of the street facade.

In his Pritzker Prize acceptance speech, Barragán expressed the quintessence of his approach: “It is essential to an architect to know how to see: I mean, to see in such a way that the vision is not overpowered by rational analysis.” His way of working relied on the physical experience of moving through the space. Thus, when a project neared completion, the culminating stage of the creative process took place on-site, where the architect acted as a moderator in the sensorial exchange between idea and construction, while the drawings faded into the background. The Barragán House exemplifies this process. Its timeless universality was best described by Louis I. Kahn in 1970: “His house is not merely a house but house itself. Anyone could feel at home. Its material is traditional, its character eternal.”