How a Family’s Annual Mole-Making Ritual Shaped Their Monolithic Mexico Home
Architect Daniel Segovia Molina translated a cherished tradition into a light-filled home with generous gathering spaces, interior gardens, and stained-glass windows.
Architect Daniel Segovia Molina translated a cherished tradition into a light-filled home with generous gathering spaces, interior gardens, and stained-glass windows.
Stem. Seed. Sauté. Strain. Simmer. For Raymundo Cortés and Julia Molina, the art of making mole is a three-day family affair. Preparing the sauce—made of dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices, and plenty of patience—is a time-honored tradition that has become an annual birthday ritual for Julia’s father. It also partially drove the design of the couple’s new home in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
Simple materials—including thin brick, cast concrete, and oak—allow craftsmanship and natural light to take center stage at Raymundo Cortés and Julia Molina’s home in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
Photo by Zaickz Moz
"I think the house is very honest—with the client, with the materials, and with its orientation," says architect Daniel Segovia Molina.
Photo by César Belio
Each year, some 40 to 50 family members gather—including Julia’s nine siblings and their growing families—for what’s become an annual labor of love. To accommodate the festivities, Raymundo and Julia envisioned creating a "very, very open" living, kitchen, and dining area that could comfortably host large gatherings while still supporting daily life with their two young children. "You don’t go looking for an architect to get what’s already on the market," says Raymundo. "You go looking for something that suits you."
The home’s central kitchen is the epicenter of the family’s annual mole-making events.
Photo by Zaickz Moz
See the full story on Dwell.com: How a Family’s Annual Mole-Making Ritual Shaped Their Monolithic Mexico Home
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