Casa Yucatán

Karen Witynski & Joe P. Carr
Gibbs Smith Publisher
Hardcover $39.95; Paperback $24.95

In Casa Yucatán, award-winning authors and designers Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr travel under the Mayan sun to discover the vitality and virtues of this rich design community, catapulted into the international spotlight by a new generation of architects honoring prehistoric and colonial legacies while creating a bracing blend of old and new.

Ancient pyramids now share the jungly landscape with revived haciendas, and colonial homes boasting high-beamed ceilings and cool tile floors posture amidst elegant plazas and renovated nineteenth-century mansions.

From city to countryside to coast, the Maya’s masterful legacy—carved stone and stucco ornaments—are everywhere in evidence. Sun-drenched colors of burnt ochre, colonial red, and Mayan blue ignite walls and bring subtle traditional details to life: mesmerizing stone-chinked surface patterns, ornate stucco designs, and intricate stencils. Interiors glisten with wall fountains, reflecting pools, and bathtubs that channel to outdoor pools.

Hammock-lined portales beckon with leather butacas and shady courtyards invite respite and reflection.

A dazzling photographic tour, Casa Yucatán invites you to step into the cool, gracious galleries and gardens of colonial homes, old haciendas, and art-filled seaside escapes that dot the Yucatán Peninsula.