Agustín Hernández: Arquitecto (1998) – Monograph
This seminal monograph, published in 1998, offers the first comprehensive retrospective of Agustín Hernández (1924–2022), the Mexican architect whose visionary work bridged pre-Hispanic symbolism, brutalist geometry, and metaphysical design. Richly illustrated with photographs, sketches, and critical essays, the book explores how Hernández’s buildings—often likened to “inhabitable sculptures”—merge ancient Mesoamerican cosmologies with futuristic forms.
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Iconic Projects: Detailed studies of his masterpieces, including the Heroic Military College (a terraced concrete pyramid echoing Tenochtitlán), his suspended House in the Air, and the Meditation Center in Cuernavaca, a spiral evoking sacred serpent motifs.
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Philosophy: Essays decode Hernández’s belief that architecture should channel “terrestrial energy,” with structures acting as conduits between human ritual and cosmic order. His fusion of Aztec mathematics and brutalist materials is analyzed alongside influences like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mathias Goeritz.
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Visual Archive: Over 200 plates showcase his dramatic interplay of shadow and mass, with blueprints revealing his meticulous attention to sacred proportions and anthropomorphic forms (e.g., staircases as “bone structures”).
The book cemented Hernández’s status as a cult figure of Latin American architecture, influencing later architects like Tatiana Bilbao. Rare first editions include a silkscreened cover featuring his geometric axonometric drawings.
“A manifesto in concrete—where the past’s whispers shape tomorrow’s skyline.”
