Architectural Escapes

Photo: Luis Felix Š 1978

In the Sierra Madre Oriental's lush mountainous landscape, an eight hour drive south of the Texas border, lies hidden one of the most intriguing and least known artistic monuments of the 20th Century, Las Pozas. On the grounds of a former coffee plantation, beside a cascading mountain river that drops through nine bathing pools ("Las Pozas"), eccentric English millionaire Edward James spent 25 years from the early 1960's to his death in 1984 creating in reinforced concrete an extraordinary and unique garden of surrealist sculptures, some reaching as high as 30 meters and all inspired by the surrounding tropical vegetation.

Following the artist's death, it became possible for the public to visit his unique creation, which lies two kilometers from the nearby village of Xilitla.

Today the magic of Las Pozas can be experienced, from within as James himself intended, and across the road from the main garden entrance, is the only private portion of these gardens.

Born to immense wealth and privilege in 1907, James led a life that imitated the surrealist art he loved and collected.

As a young man, he turned his back on the rigid aristocratic circles of Edwardian England to which he belonged, becoming a patron of numerous artists. Amongst them Dalí, Ernst, Magritte, Man Ray, Picasso and Stravinsky to name only a few.

Years later, in 1964, he abandoned the intellectual, social, and artistic circles of London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles for the jungles of Mexico.

In Xilitla he lived with his close friend Plutarco Gastelum, a Yaqui Indian, and his family. Plutarco would later become James' construction foreman at Las Pozas.

Over a 20-year period and at a cost exceeding 7 million dollars they built more than 36 surrealistic structures in reinforced concrete that are dispersed throughout this magnificent site.

During his entire life besides being a patron to many artists James also wrote and published poetry, and was a founder of the NY City Ballet, but it was in his design and building of Las Pozas that he finally fulfilled his dream in becoming a true artist.

Photo: Luis Felix Š 1978

This Tropical Paradise is one of a
kind in the entire world. It is private,
separate, and across from the
main Las Pozas entrance behind
a long concrete bamboo screen and totally isolated from the public gardens.

Getting There:

You can fly into Tampico, via México City or Monterrey. There are several flights into Tampico daily, and we suggest that you plan on arriving there before 5 pm. You can rent a car in Tampico.

You can also fly to Brownsville or McAllen, Texas where you are only 8 hours from Xilitla by first class bus.
If you are trying to find Xilitla on the map is proximately 40 miles south of Ciudad Valles in the State of San Luis Potosi.

Click here to view road map >>


	Set on over 2 acres, with three of the most famous sculptures, two exceeding 6 meters in height. La Casa de los Peristilos, 9 meters high, is the main residence itself and Edward James' final work which he had intended to inhabit himself. Except for what remained of James' original design this structure has been completely re-modeled into the property's principal residence. Besides the main residence the property includes a small guest house with full bath, bodega or second guest house with half bath, a roofed Huastecan kitchen with early bread oven, dining area, and carport all designed by the current owner/architect. The complex has many paths and patios, over 100 varieties of tropical plants, trees, (citrus, pear, mangoes, coffee, orchids, etc.) all of which adjoins the spring fed "Rio Tranquilin" with the property's private waterfall and swimming pool.

Additional Information:

Directly across the road are the principal gardens of Las Pozas which includes an excellent restaurant and gift store (Tienda). The restaurant is open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm and offers a wide selection of delicious Huastecan and Mexican food.

Many critics have claimed that the three sculptures (Casa de los Peristilos, Casa de la Plantas & Homage de Max Ernst) are the finest and most sophisticated of Edward James' work at "Las Pozas", and therefore this property, entirely secluded, and entirely private becomes the highlight of the Gardens.