Stairs to nowhere
Concrete in the forest.
MyName (Bernardo Bolaños) — CC BY 2.5 · Anna Bertho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Elsa Salazar García — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México — CC BY-SA 2.0
A strange surrealist garden in humid tropical forest on the slopes of the Sierra Gorda, built by the wealthy British poet Edward James, one of the great patrons of surrealist art, over decades from the 1940s until his death. It covers more than thirty hectares of natural waterfalls and pools. Among the trees and falls stand dozens of strange concrete structures: columns shaped like giant flowers, stairways that climb to nowhere, doors and windows open to the sky, and arches and bridges that vanish into the forest. Grey, moss-covered concrete blends with the dense green, and the place feels like a dream. You walk the garden with a compulsory guide on a path that rises and falls between the structures and pools, and climb some narrow stairways without railings, so take care. Below the garden are a waterfall and blue pools. It is closed on Tuesdays, last entry is four in the afternoon, and it is crowded at weekends. Paths are slippery after rain, so wear shoes with grip. Xilitla is a pretty small mountain town for an overnight stay.
Concrete in the forest.
Giant blooms in stone.
Water among the follies.
Near the town of Xilitla, San Luis Potosí state; about seven hours by road north of Mexico City
No, a guide is compulsory and paid on top of the ticket, in Spanish or English. It is closed on Tuesdays, with last entry at four.