Las Pozas, Mexico

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.

          There was rejoicing recently among garden-lovers at the footage of this remarkable jungle garden which was shown as part of Monty Don's BBC television series Around the World in 80 Gardens. Here at last was firm evidence that the garden had not literally fallen down and been consumed by the jungle, as had been rumoured. In fact Las Pozas is in fine fettle, lovingly maintained by a dedicated team of gardeners. English eccentric and patron of surrealism Edward James built this place over 20 years starting in the Fifties - a labyrinth of outlandish buildings and structures can be discovered strewn across some 80 acres of jungle, which is always on the verge of overwhelming it. Las Pozas means "The Pools", and a series of waterfalls gurgles away beneath platforms and hair-raising walkways, suspended in the jungle canopy. 

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.

Recently restored as a private residence by international award-winning architect Christopher H. L. Owen, the aptly named Casa de Los Peristilos and two of James' more famous sculptures: Homage de Max Ernst and Casa de las Plantas, also restored by the owner/architect. 

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.

Las pozas is indeed a fantasy, an outpouring of the creative mind of a person with resources to express himself without constraint.

James renders his visions in stone and concrete; the jungle responds with rioting vegetation.

Seven snakes represent the seven deadly sins; evil lurking in the undergrowth.  

Bromeliads smother old trees; concrete fantasies mimic plants, thrusting upward toward the light

A great flower blooms in a jungle clearing. Rows of curved arches resemble  remains of some long-decayed monster. Mute creatures lurk in dark pathways. A gothic structure futilely tries to impose some kind of order. A cataract, maybe 100 meters high, falls in the dim light. The gardens are large; they range over 60 mountainside acres. I spent an entire day shooting images, but I didn't have time to see it all. Some Xilitla residents regularly visit. One told me that after four years, she still makes new discoveries. Las Pozas has been described as surrealistic, and I suppose it is. I would call it primal. Here, art amplifies nature. Like Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Las Pozas reeks fecundity. Primitive, lustful things live in this ancient jungle.  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.