Casa San Francisco by Jorge Garibay Architects

The Casa San Francisco project, by Jorge Garibay Architects, began as a request for a vacation home in a vineyard on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende, a small colonial town in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The vineyard setting naturally informed a design approach that mirrors winemaking, where time, materiality, and process are integral to the result.

The founding of San Miguel de Allende—originally known as San Miguel el Grande—in the 16th century coincided with the introduction of grape cultivation to Mexico by Franciscan friars. Alongside this, the missionaries’ broader task of Catholic evangelisation shaped the planning and construction of colonial cities, particularly through monastic and convent architecture.

In winemaking, terroir describes how climate, soil, and human intervention shape a wine’s character. A similar process occurred in architecture. Building traditions brought to Mexico by European missionaries were transformed by local conditions, adapting to a new landscape and cultural context. As with viticulture, these imported forms evolved into something distinct — shaped by place, time, and environment.

The surrounding landscape, along with the property’s purpose as a place for rest and retreat, informed a third aspect of the design concept for Casa San Francisco. The goal was to create a space for contemplation to encourage reflection on the natural order of the world and celebrate seasonal cycles of growth, change, decay, and entropy.

To realise this, the house is composed of five distinct volumes, each opening onto a landscaped area with clear views of the vineyards and the surrounding environment. A transverse corridor runs through the volumes, guiding the layout of the spaces. Accessed via an entrance with a double-height ceiling, it acts as a threshold between exterior and interior. The west wing accommodates the public areas — dining room, terrace, kitchen, living room, garage, and service areas — while the four private bedrooms are positioned to the east.

To convey, through materiality, the idea of nature shaped by time, and to translate conventual architecture into a contemporary language, the project was guided by a principle of restraint. A limited palette of materials was used to achieve maximum impact, giving the house a sober presence and enduring character. Honest materials were selected for their ability to age gracefully, alongside the revival of traditional construction techniques. The primary materials include locally sourced stone from a nearby site, unpolished Mexican marble flooring, and lime-based paint applied by hand in a tone that complements the stone’s natural hues, resulting in a series of monochromatic, monolithic forms.

The interior design continues this quiet approach. Oak furniture was chosen for its simplicity, while the lighting design takes cues from the warm light temperatures found in 16th-century convents, without sacrificing contemporary levels of illumination. The result is a sequence of warm, contemplative spaces where natural light plays an essential role.

This project's unpretentious approach aligns with Luis Barragán's idea that "time also paints" and the notion that beauty is imperfect and revealed gradually over time.

Photography by Cesar Belio