Given its Mayan roots and colonial heritage, there’s no lack of history or culture in the southeast Mexican city of Merida, a fact widely manifested in its urban fabric… and the renovated Al Modar Founders Pavilion by studio TACO (Taller de Arquitectura Contextual) reinforces this notion. 

With the brief to turn a pre-existing rural home into a casual, relaxed coffee house and restaurant, TACO went deep into the roots of this 50-square meter building, whose original structure had been modified 25 years earlier. The studio recovered the original stone masonry walls, opening it up to unveil a double-height reinforced concrete barrel vault. The rooftop terrace was also reinstalled, offering clients a bird’s eye view of the garden area below. Layers of paint were also chipped away to reveal patches of characteristic murals of the 16th century church on the vault and facades.

While the architectural intervention celebrates the past, it also comes with modern modifications and contributions: the use of more resistant materials adapted to its surroundings, a levelling of the property’s outdoor grounds, and landscaping that reinterprets the aesthetics of Mayan plots. 

Follow the studio’s Instagram for more, and discover other Merida-based architectural projects here.

Photography © Leo Espinosa for TACO