Pretty as a Puerta

Great example of an Ajijic Pubelito (village) door

One of my many obsessions are doors - to be more specific, entrance doors - the first impression of a house, a style and a person.  On our many travels, I'm often caught taking pictures of local doors, especially in Mexico!

I love the architecture, design and furniture of Mexico, both modern and old hacienda style.  It's large and substantial, some highly decorative while others are brilliantly simplistic in it's curves and design, but all very functional and built to last a very, very long time!  In our travels through Mexico, we spent some time in Colonial Mexico, in Guadalajara and while there, took a few side trips to the Lake Chapula and Talaquepacque areas, where the urge to click was overwhelming at times!

(Lake Chapula greetings)

If you have not sampled a Mexican neighbourhood outside the tourist zone, it is a beautiful combination of bold and Caribbean colours mixed with abandon, yet it all comes together to represent the character of it's people.  Warm and inviting, traditional homes and haciendas offer entrance directly off the main street, usually an understated building but with a large ornate or colourful door, with beautifully forged hinges dating back hundreds of years or a simple carved entrance or iron door knockers to greet you.

(Three great examples of Hacienda entrances)

Our trip to the Lake Chapula area was a great introduction to the doors of Ajijic - it sets the tone of both the home and the area.  You will find them large or small, wooden or metal, colorful or striking wood finished.  Around the door can be as dramatic as stone arches or plastered walls brightly colored.  It seems like the only guidelines are the boundaries of the home owners' imagination - it's brilliant and joyous all at the same time!

Here are a few examples of the variety of Ajijic doors:

The Hacienda door - understated, but elegant.  It looks like a regal entrance, maybe built for a Spanish Viceroy, and you have to agree, it is a powerfully affluent design.

Here is an example of a metal door, with an Astec feel - supposedly designed by a Canadian artist in residence who tried to express his knowledge of Mexican mythology through art.

Here is a great, colorful casa entryway, sure to invite

Amazing combinations of colors, oranges, blues and aqua make the classic wooden door come to life and invite a peek inside.


And, I came across this door during our visit and found it in an article on the Internet!

"Straight out of Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights this Mexican Moroccan Villa was designed and built by the legendary architect John King. Two of John's Ajijic homes have graced the pages of Architectural Digest in recent years. Behind the walls are classic Arabian arches and other design details mixed in with a good measure of Mexican color."

So the next time you travel, take a moment and notice the beauty in the designs of a culture - it doesn't have to be an ornate church or a painting hanging in a museum to be worthy of attention.  Sometimes it can be in plain view, through beautiful woodwork, colorful choices of paint and artwork expressed through the simple front door.