Study Abroad in Mexico
Proposal by | Christopher Prinsen
Critic | Alfonso Perez
Location | San Martín De Las Cañas, Tequila Valley, Mexico | 20.946° N, 103.856° W
Critic | Alfonso Perez
Location | San Martín De Las Cañas, Tequila Valley, Mexico | 20.946° N, 103.856° W
San Martin de las Cañas is an agricultural village near Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Situated within Tequila Valley, a recently declared UNESCO world heritage site. The area is mountainous; San Martin is 3,600 feet above sea level, in a coastal range of mountains called the Sierra Madre. The location of the ejido permits the locals full 360º view of the landscape. In the United States, this mountain chain is identified as the Rockies.
San Martin was previously a hacienda. Haciendas are built according to water supply, and the vernacular of the towns is representative of their proximity to a water supply. This was due to the need of mechanical pressure for numerous productions. Since the demise of the hacienda system into ejidos, San Martin has exemplified the process of abandonment and decay of the former representative parts has nearly completed itself, with no significant buildings left yet the urban structure still remains somewhat clear.
This is why I have chosen San Martin De Las Cañas. San Martin and its people need a multiple-use Primary School, including a large plaza space to activate the grounds to which many townspeople will celebrate and traverse upon daily. All materials and labor are locally sourced. This allows families to learn the construction method for future maintenance.
The primary school is for children ages 4-14. With the great increase of children being born each year this will require classrooms with natural light, and large open spaces for learning. The large plaza will act as a safe social environment for the students while also supporting the many diverse activities of the ejido during the day and night.