Our selection focuses on two themes we consider especially relevant to the current discourse on architecture in Mexico. The first concerns the very definition of architectural practice, while the second explores the development of a distinctly Mexican architectural identity.
The first theme draws from a variety of archival sources—including caricatures, advertisements, diagrams, articles, and editorial commentary—that collectively portray, at times satirically, the figure of the Architect (with a capital “A” and in the masculine form) as it was constructed in that era. The second selection features articles from Espacios magazine, in which figures such as Raúl Cacho, Juan O’Gorman, Enrique del Moral, and Alberto T. Arai, among others, reflect on Mexico’s postcolonial identity and its expression through architecture.
These two questions have been at the core of Operadora’s work since its founding in 2014: What does it mean to be architects in the 21st century? What does Mexican architecture look like? Our answers to these questions have evolved over time, but our approach remains consistent: to question, challenge, and offer alternatives to established models, with the aim of cultivating a dynamic, responsive practice—one that resonates with the times we live in.
Edgar Rodríguez (Operadora)