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Tell us about your research project and why it is important to you?
I have spent the last five years researching the studio houses of muralists José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. This research is important because it analyzes the European avant-garde--in painting, cubism, and futurism; and in architecture, the ideas derived from the Bauhaus, Le Corbusier, and Italian rationalism--and its impact in the United States and Mexico, with post-revolutionary muralism. This, in turn, influenced the modern architecture of the first half of the 20th century in Mexico. The encounter between painting and architecture was not limited to the influence of the muralists on the work of architects, such as Luis Barragán, Juan O'Gorman, or Mario Pani, but also in the way the architects influenced the muralists, who took the painters' ideas into three dimensions for their studio houses, designed specifically for living and working.
The collaboration of the muralists with the architects stemmed from the affinities and complicities that existed between them, beyond the specific commissions from one to the other. Rivera was O'Gorman's mentor, client, and collaborator; Pani commissioned Orozco to paint murals in two of his great architectural projects; Neutra advised Siqueiros on how to fix the mural painting on concrete surfaces to ensure its conservation in the open air; Barragán and Orozco had discussions with Kiesler about the European avant-garde and the conception of architecture as one whole with painting, sculpture, and scenography.
Once the cycle of this project is closed, ideally with a publication, I will start working on the topic that brought me to the Ph.D.: Bullrings of New Spain and Mexico, with objectives that include conservation proposals and new adaptive uses.
Have you presented or published your research anywhere? Tell us about the experience.
I curated the exhibition "Architects and Muralists, 20th Century Studio Houses in Mexico", which was presented in 2022-23 at the Casa Estudio Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City and is now on display at the Museo de las Artes of the University of Guadalajara. The process has been very fulfilling, from the conception of the project, putting together a team of professionals for the design, redrawing of plans, making of models in bronze and wood, photography, translation, together with the organization to make it possible. Now, as a doctoral student, the research has been enriched and therefore the exhibition has grown, which makes me think of how the history of architecture is not something completed, definitive; of how there are always new findings, perspectives, ways of interpreting reality that can be transmitted and discussed in the setting of museums, through temporary exhibitions.
What would you say is something interesting about your area of study that most people don't know?
I would say that studying the history of architecture requires a method and an approach to the sources of documentation, to the multiple contexts and values associated with architecture, and that the buildings themselves are also documents that you have to know how to read and decipher.
Tell us about your academic or professional collaborations with Mexico.
I belong to DoCoMoMo Mexico (International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) and to the National Academy of Architecture. I participate in the annual DoCoMoMo seminar, from which publications are derived in collaboration with UNAM, Universidad Iberoamericana, and the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, among other institutions. I am also an instructor in the Escalas de la Ciudad: Vivienda, Barrio, Territorio program at Tec de Monterrey, where I teach the topic “New Adaptive Uses of the Built Heritage,” and I am a mentor for the Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y Desarrollo Artístico (PECDA) in Veracruz.
What attracted you to Texas and the University of Texas at Austin?
I came to Texas in 2016, on behalf of Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to direct the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio. As part of my job, I started participating in collaborations with cultural and educational organizations in Texas, so I got to know the academic work at UT Austin and the Ph.D. program at the School of Architecture. I made a couple of visits and presented the exhibition “MoMo GDL-Mx Mid-century Modern Architecture in Guadalajara, Mexico 1930-1970,” at the Mebane Gallery. I really liked the feel of the school. It took me a couple of years to find the courage to fulfill the dream of studying here the doctorate that I had postponed for so long.
What have been some good things you didn't expect from Texas or UT Austin?
The incredible collections they have in their libraries: the LLILAS Benson Latin American Collections, the Harry Ransom Center, the Alexander Architectural Archives, the Architecture and Planning Library... I have found rare books, maps, photographs, digitized documents, specialized collections, and librarians who accompany you in your searches. It is a marvel.
What have been the biggest challenges of studying at UT Austin and living in the United States?
I like living here and enjoying all that the campus and the city have to offer. It has struck me that it is rare for a Latino to venture into studies or take courses in Classical Studies or Classical Civilization. It is as if it is taken for granted that Latinos should only study Latin America and that it is in that field where they can make academic contributions. Regarding the challenges, what has been most difficult is getting to know the jargon of each discipline and to learn academic English, which in a way, seems like a different language.
How has the support of ConTex and Conahcyt impacted you?
It has impacted me in multiple ways, all positive. I have been able to do research and field work; I have learned from colleagues and highly qualified professors in areas such as landscape architecture, history, hagiography, classical architecture, anthropology, and architectural history. The seminars have opened new worlds for me; there I have learned to argue and carry out discussions in a highly respectful, yet passionate, academic environment. The support of ConTex and Conahcyt has allowed me to concentrate in my studies with a commitment and aim toward making contributions to social development both in Mexico and in the United States.
What kind of work do you hope to do in the future, and how do you hope your research will benefit people in the U.S. and Mexico?
My professional life has led me to the path of research and curating architectural exhibitions, so I am attracted to both the world of museums and the world of education. What I do benefits the United States and Mexico because we have a close historical relationship, which is alive and well in a diverse range of manifestations. In my area of study, the cultural and artistic influences have gone both ways, and there is much to discover and highlight from these exchanges.
What advice would you give to other Mexican students considering studying in Texas?
I would tell them that the University of Texas at Austin is a paradise for a full-time student; that by knowing how to organize their time they can have a rich and balanced life in a multicultural environment that gives you the tools to learn to discern what is important and how focus on it.
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