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Casa Sisal Captures the Magic and Mystery of the Yucatan

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Reyes Rios + Larrain Studio have sensitively recreated a guest house in the Yucatan Peninsula named after the agave plants that were once farmed on the property.

Casa Sisal is situated on a 200-square-meter plot of land enclosed by old masonry walls that date back to the 1800s.

The work of Architect Salvador Reyes Rios and Josefina Larrain Lagos now sets the standard for colonial remodeling and hacienda restoration in Mexico.

They are well known for their senstive conversions of former haciendas and colonial dwellings  in Mexico to luxury hotels and private homes while engaging the tradition of outdoor Yucatan architecture.

The team has spent 15 years experimenting with a concrete building mixture formed of white cement and resins from local chukum trees, originally mastered by the Mayans.

The bedrooms are entirely molded in the traditional cementatious mixture, even including a generous platform creadling a sunken bed.

In fact the entire structure, inside and out, is now built with this ancient Mayan technique.

The studio is very hands-on, taking on not just concept, finished design and construction, but also all the detail of the interior finish.

The two bedrooms and bathrooms occupy either end of the structure, with shared communal public space in the center, blending old and new with grace and aplomb.

Cooling breezes ventilate these smaller rooms naturally by generous openings to the outdoors.

Glass sliding doors open up on both sides of a communal kitchen and living space in the center.

The open center maximizes ventilation during the summer heat.

Exterior stairs lead to a rooftop terrace for further cooling.

While being a contemporary pared-down eco-chic retreat, Casa Sisal also captures the magic and mystery of the ancient Maya.