Monterrey means mountain king, a name befitting its location surrounded
by the Sierra Madre in north-eastern Mexico. It was founded in 1596 near
the natural springs of Santa Lucia, a luscious oasis in an otherwise
arid landscape. Its colonial beginnings are still visible in the
architecture of the Barrio Antiguo district in the city centre. In the
late 19th century, industrial development transformed the modest town
into a flourishing, modern city. Its foundries and breweries reflect its
industry, while its skyscrapers, universities, churches, and monuments
designed by celebrated Mexican modernist architects like Mario Pani,
Enrique de la Mora, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, and Luis Barragán reflect its
modernity. Today, Monterrey is an important cultural, educational,
medical, and business metropolis with buildings by Ricardo Legorreta,
Nicholas Grimshaw, and Tadao Ando. Its fast growing residential,
corporate, and commercial developments feature designs by Norman Foster,
Cesar Pelli, Zaha Hadid, and Alejandro Aravena. This book presents the
role of architecture in the continuous transformation of this city.
Bilingual: English and Spanish