YucatanYucatan Peninsula

Visit Plantel Matilde | Stunning Monastic Grandeur in the Yucatan Jungle

Marveling at incredible contemporary architecture doesn’t exactly spring to mind when plotting your Yucatan getaway. And why would it? Neo-Baroque mansions, Skittle-colored facades, sprawling haciendas, colonial churches, and the decayed beauty of Mayan ruins rank high on the list of Yucatan’s greatest temptations.

But ensconced in a clearing in the jungle just 40-minutes from downtown Merida lies Plantel Matilde, a stunning and enormous contemporary confection that defies everything you and I think we know about the region’s diversity of architecture. A massive dwelling tethered to the earth by water and concrete, and by shadow and light, Plantel Matilde gleaned its inspiration from the hallowed church cloister, the traditional Spanish hacienda, and the region’s pre-Hispanic structures, reimagining these on an imperial scale with a monastic and modern twist.

Fundación Javier Marin

Plantel Matilde measures 230-foot long and 40-foot high on all four sides, and is the artist's studio and residence for artist Javier Marin that's built of concrete and surrounded by pools of water. This image shows one of the building's two colonnades with a field of grass in the foreground, hulking red sculptures set off to the left side of the raised colonnade, all of which sits under a bright blue, cotton-candy clouded sky,
Plantel Matilde in Sac Chich, Yucatan. Photo Credit: The World I Roam.

Pitched on the former site of an agave hacienda in the sleepy Yucatan village of Sac Chich, Plantel Matilde is the atelier and private residence of celebrated Mexican sculptor, Javier Marin. A prolific artist whose oeuvre spans 30 years, Marin’s abstract pieces explore the construction and deconstruction of humanity. His work has been the subject of 90 individual exhibitions, and shown in over 200 collective international exhibitions.

In 2013, Marin launched Fundación Javier Marin, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the plastic and visual arts, as well as supporting the work of emerging artists. Plantel Matilde, which Marin designed in concert with his brother, the architect Arcadio Marin, is a prodigious manifestation of his foundation’s vision. In addition to being the residence and studio of the artist, Plantel Matilde serves as a meditative space and workshop for artists hand-selected by Marin. Through the support of the foundation, artists are welcome to stay for a stretch and do what they do best — create.

Recently, I visited Plantel Matilde on a beautiful and breezy Friday afternoon. My anticipation was great, as I’ve been itching to explore Plantel Matilde for the better part of a year. Until recently, it hasn’t been open to the public, and even now how to visit Plantel Matilde remains a fairly well-guarded secret. If you’d like to explore this serene and riveting place (of course you would!), I share details on how to visit Plantel Matilde at the end of this article. 

A Mirage in the Jungle

A staircase surrounded by wooden framing leads up to a concrete platform, the floor of Plantel Matilde's colonnade, in which a pool is set with a pair of chairs on each side. 2 large, orangish sculptures appear at the end of the colonnade in the distance. To the left, a pond is visible, to the right a large field of grass. Plantel Matilde, Merida, Yucatan.
A staircase beneath the colonnade leads to the subterranean living and workspace of Mexican sculptor Javier Marin. The wooden framing is recycled from the old Hacienda Matilda, from which Plantel Matilde derives its names, that previously existed on this site. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

I exit the main highway to get to Sac Chich, bouncing over unmarked dirt roads through pueblo and jungle. Overheated dogs laze in my path while azure and sunburst-colored birds sing and flit about the thick canopy of trees overhead. It’s an unlikely lead up to a contemporary architectural gem. At times, a failing phone signal wreaks havoc on my GPS, making me question if I’m still on the right track.

Navigation returns just in to end my journey in front of a nondescript steel gate affixed to a rambling stone wall. If I have any doubts Marin’s mythical edifice lies behind here, the two cars idling at the gate before me, one behind the other, affirm this could possibly be the place. In a few minutes the metal gates open up and a red SUV emerges. Diego, our docent for the next few hours, exits the vehicle. He moves from car to car, politely introducing himself and bidding us to follow him inside to the main attraction. Into the jungle compound our caravan goes, metal gate clamping shut behind me.

We trek deeper along a dusty, narrow road lined with wild and magnificent trees. About four minutes in, a flattened clearing magically appears, and a mammoth structure rises up omnipotently over the neat green ground. This unexpected sight in the bowels of the Yucatan jungle could easily be a mirage.

I park, exit my car and behold the thing. I am struck. Perhaps the impact of Plantel Matilde on the senses would be slightly lessened in an urban place dense with other contemporary concrete structures. But I’ve been living in Old World Merida for the past few years. Feasting my eyes on Matilde is like coming across a Picasso.  

Plantel Matilde exists in the shape of a monumental cube that is at once hulking and light. Two sides comprise a pair of never-ending arcades supported by 40-foot concrete columns. The columns are domineering, yet still they encourage the eye and mind to wander everywhere between their open spaces. The remaining two sides of Matilde form a pair of enclosed, 230-foot galleries pocked with windows resembling the shape of matchsticks. The roof above doubles as an observation deck for taking in the surrounding earth and heavens.

The arcades and galleries wrap around a pretty reflective pool. A central island grown over with native trees and plants floats peacefully in the middle, a kind of meditative womb. I want to curl up here with some spiritual epic. The Bhagavad Gita sounds goods.

The entire edifice is unadorned. A gargantuan blank canvas planted valiantly in the terra firma. 

Jen wearing sunglasses and smiling in front of the floating island covered with trees in the center of the peaceful poll at Plantel Matilde outside of Merida in Yuactan. A colonnade with a low staircase is visible on her right.
Yours truly in front of the reflective pool, a pretty and peaceful aquatic cloister of sorts around which Plantel Matilde is constructed.
Over my left should lies the meditative island. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

Livability, Sustainability & The Artist’s Hand

A wooden seating area comprising 6 chairs surrounding a firepit outdoors on a low, concrete platform at Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan. In the distance is a double staircase leading up to a platform with a large orange sculpture of a head. The gleaming white structure is surrounded by water on all sides.
An outdoor seating area surrounds a fireplace. A colossal sculpture by Javier Marin hovers in the distance. Plantel Matilde’s “moat” is visible to the left. The reflective pools sits on the right. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

We’re a small group touring Plantel Matilde. Just me and a pair of well-heeled couples. We wander alongside Diego through the airy arcade, everyone snapping away furiously on cameras and cell phones. Diego is warm and personable and speaks excellent English regaling us with details about Plantel Matilde and its resident artist. 

Diego points out the practical aspects of Matilde’s design, which, he says, contribute to its livability and sustainability alike. Matilde’s above-ground elevation grace it with a refreshing airflow that nixes the need for air conditioning in the scorching Yucatan heat. Airflow is also encouraged by the lack of glass on the windows. Windows are instead covered by shutters that open up to screens.

Rectangular pools of water snuggle up against the building’s perimeter on all four of its sides. This “moat,” as Diego calls it, prevents common local critters like scorpions, spiders or snakes from entering the building. Koi and carp glide tranquily through the pools, as well as through the waters at the center of Matilde. Their tasked with gobbling up mosquito larvae, which reduces the chance of pestilence caused by one of the region’s most prevalent pests. 

Colossal sculptures of fallen, disembodied heads exist in various spots around the colonnades. These are, of course, works by Javier Marin. I find them daring and deeply fascinating. Diego explains that each piece can take up to six months, from concept to casting to completion. Teams of a dozen or more people work together assembling the sculptures, which can contain up to 90 individual pieces. The final touch, however, is always that of Marin. His is the final hand to layer and texture humanity into their resin-skin faces.

A closeup of an orange, upside down fallen head sculpture by artist Javier Marin at Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan. A concrete column and grassy field are blurred but visible in the distance.
A closeup of an orange, upside down fallen head sculpture by Mexican artist Javier Marin at Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan. A concrete column and grassy field are blurred but visible in the distance.
A large, orange fallen head sculpture by artist Javier Marin lays horizontally on a broken concrete floor under a blue but cloudy sky at Plantel Marin near Merida in Yucatan. A grassy field and trees lay in the distance.
Several of Javier Marin’s large-scale, fiberglass and resin sculptures are placed throughout the property. It can take over a dozen artists working under Marin up to 6 months to help fashion and assemble these giant pieces. Photo credit: The World I Roam.
A large orange, upside-down, fallen head sculpture by Mexican artist Javier Marin at Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan. A staircase leads to the sculpture, which sits at the end of a gleaming white concrete colonnade.
Jen wearing sunglasses and a purse standing in front of a large, rust-colored fallen head sculpture by artist Javier Marin. The sculpture lays horizontally on the concrete floor beneath the white concrete colonnade at Plantel Marin near Merida in Yucatan. Monolithic concrete columns, a grassy field and trees lay in the distance.

Sparse Grandeur

An enormous concrete gallery 230-feet long flanked by windows on both sides and a long row of candelabra-type chandeliers suspended above. Wooden tables are visible in the distance, sitting on the polished concrete floor of Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan.
A sparsely ornamented, 230-foot long interior gallery. Despite the lack of adornment, the overwhelming scale of Plantel Matilde’s interior
reminded me of the royal palaces you would find in Europe. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

We enter Plantel Matilde through red metal doors. The red strikes me as an odd fit in the midst of so much colorless concrete, until my mind changes to decide that the crimson is playful. Once inside, I soak in the sheer immensity of the hall before me. The overwhelming scale transports me back to the Papal Galleries in the Vatican Museums, where I spent several years leading art history tours.

The gaping difference, of course, is that Papal Galleries are drenched in decadent art and ornamented from floor to ceiling. By comparison, Plantel Matilde is, well, drenched in almost nothing.

Shards of precious pottery rest along the expansive length of a wooden table. Low seating designed by Gabriel Peón rests in an intimate circle, smack-dab and all alone in the middle of an enormous space. A singular Marin artwork, a statue of Saint Anthony, beams down on us from beside an open window. In the corner where the two interior galleries converge, a lofty, ring-shaped structure entitled The Crown levitates above a lovely old piano, a treasured gift from one of Marin’s friends.

Aside from polished concrete floors and a long line of candelabra-style chandeliers, this is all that exists in a space measuring an additional 100-feet than a football field.

It’s the most glorious and austere echo chamber I’ve ever seen. As on the outside, so it is on the inside, I think. A towering blank canvas suited to the contemplation and creation of art.  

An extra-long, rustic wooden table covered from end to end with various and weathered pieces of broken and intact ceramic pottery. The table is located inside a long gallery with a concrete floor and tall windows on either side. Two men and a woman wearing a red dress are visible in the distance. Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
Chipped and broken ceramic pottery piled along a rustic wooden table is a rare decorative element.
Photo credit: The World I Roam.
A massive, circular beige structure held together by metal clamps and structures called The Crown hovers over a covered piano. A man and woman stand near 3 open windows behind the piano. Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
A covered piano, a gift to the artist from a friend, rests beneath The Crown, a levitating sculpture.
Photo credit: The World I Roam.
A gleaming black piano accompanied by a seat situated at the end of a long gallery flanked by windows at Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan. Candelabra-style chandeliers hang in a long row from the ceiling and an arched red door is visible in the distance.
The red door at the gallery’s end is a playful touch in an otherwise austere space.
Photo credit: The World I Roam.
A patina-covered sculpture of a man with a tall hat and abnormally long fingers pointing at a book in his hand as a small child leans agains his leg. A black vase and small wooden seat are at the sculpture's side and a beige concrete wall and window sit just behind. Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
A sculpture of Saint Anthony by Javier Marin. Photo credit: The World I Roam.
A long recessed window flankend by wooden shutters opens onto a large black sculpture sitting on a sprawling green lawn outside. Trees are visible in the distance at Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
A glassless window overlooking the garden where an ebony statue entitled The Wing resides. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

Still, Plantel Matilde carries on underground, where a capacious subterranean living space and studio exists for Marin, as well as the guest quarters for visiting artists. Marin’s space is decidedly off-limits, but Diego leads us down a lengthy corridor where resides a series of guest bedrooms. I’m shocked in no way when Diego calls these the “monk rooms.” Nearly naked sans decor and modest in space, guest bedrooms feature an austere wooden table and springless mattresses under a stamp-sized window in the wall.

Discomfort has long been a catalyst for producing great art.

A long narrow corridor with a slotted wooden entrance. In the foreground, to the right, pottery sits on a hunk of limestone. Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
A woman stands to the left in a small room with an elevated platform where two thin mattresses rest. A small, recessed square window sits in the wall and a wooden table with two chairs sits int he foreground. Plantel Matilde, near Merida in Yucatan.
A modest but pleasant kitchen fashioned primarily out of wood with a long low bar in front and a series of cubed shelves on a countertop in the distance. Long, rectangular windows allow light in the room, and a seating area with pillows and cushion are visible to the left. Various bits of pottery decorate the shelving in the distance. Plantel Matilde near Merida in Yucatan.
The warm minimalist kitchen located underground in the guest quarters incorporates concrete, limestone and reclaimed wood. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

Silence in the Sushine

A wooden seating area surrounding a firepit framed by staircases to the left and right, and backed by monumental white concrete columns. In the distance, a reflective pool with a floating island covered in native trees. Behind this, a long low concrete building with windows. Plantel Matilde, Yucatan.
This low platform with wooden seating is also the main point of entry to Plantel Matilde. Staircases on either side lead visitors either to the guest quarters,
or to the artist’s private residence. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

We re-emerge from the underground back into the sunshine. Here, we’re greeted by a loud silence, a silence living and breathing right here with me. A kind of monastic silence, and it envelops Matilde with a grace befitting a sacred temple.

The stillness inspires me to retrace all I’ve just seen and experienced. Cavernous galleries. Provocative sculptures. Ascetic chambers. Holographic reflections of water on concrete. My initial awe at the mirage in the jungle.

I would give anything to strike a lotus pose on that celestial floating island for the next several hours. Sadly, it isn’t to be. It’s time to head out, Diego informs us. We’re off to the Sac Chich Workshop.

Parting Matilde is such sweet sorrow. 

Barro de Sac Chich

The Sac Chich Workshop in Yucatan is filled with black, yellow, white and terracotta colored pottery arranged on a central display table, as well as a curved shelving system on the wall. to the left, a woman with dark hair examines some pieces. The Workshop is around the way from Plantel Matilde.
Ceramics inside the Workshop Sac Chich adhere to a strict palette of white, black, navy, yellow, and terracotta.
Photo credit: The World I Roam.

Our little caravan follows the red SUV on a short drive to a plaza around the corner. A deserted basketball court missing its nets sits in the center of town. Salsa music pierces the air from a lively house on the square. Two women, one in shorts, the other in jeans, flank the doorway of Barro de Sac Chich — the Sac Chich Workshop — as we make our way inside.

Precious handmade crafts swoon around me in a strict palette of white, black, navy, and yellow, with the occasional touch of terracota. Vases, tableware, serving platters, objets d’arts, finely-woven hammocks, and statement jewelry are on artful display around the shop. Everything is a vision.

Beatriz, who runs the workshop on behalf of the Javier Marin Foundation, greets and introduces us to the local Sac Chich women artisans who are gathered here. She explains how the workshop’s mission is to procure the social, cultural and economic development of the community by helping these women forge a path to entrepreneurship, providing them the tools, materials and working space to realize their artisanal talents. Everything here is fashioned by these women, and anything purchased directly support them.  

The Sac Chich Workshop in Yucatan is filled with black, yellow, white and terracotta colored pottery arranged on a central display table. Low wooden seats and some bits of pottery on wooden side tables sit against a dramatic black mural with floral designs on the wall The Workshop is around the way from Plantel Matilde.
Every piece displayed at the Sac Chich Workshop is hand-crafted by local women artisans under the sponsorship of the Javier Marin Foundation. The foundation provides the women with tools, a workspace and premium-quality clay from Oaxaca.
Photo credit: The World I Roam.

My touring companions and I scatter about the shop, sharing how we’re besotted with practically everything. They snap up several enviable pieces before leaving. I buy a pretty yellow serving dish spattered with a symphony of leopard-inspired spots. Beatriz gifts me with a delicate ceramic vase as a token of thanks for supporting the local community through my tour of Plantel Matilde.

I remain in this divine little space chatting with Beatriz for a good half hour. There’s lots to discuss. She generously answers my many questions about the shop and certain pieces. We discover her son used to attend the same school in Merida as mine does now. I lived in Italy for several years, and Beatriz is from Milan.

When I finally leave, I realize I haven’t thanked Diego, but he’s long gone. No doubt returned to the meditative embrace of Plantel Matilde. How I envy him so.

How to Visit Plantel Matilde

The only exterior adornment to be found at Plantel Matilde are the classical-style etchings that flank the doorway to the left. Photo credit: The World I Roam.

Because Plantel Matilde is a private residence and meditative creative space, the powers that be have zero desire to promote garden-variety tourism here. Tours are not publicized. In fact, Plantel Matilde’s entire online presence states that it’s closed to the public.

However, don’t let this dissuade you. If you’d like to visit Plantel Matilde, you can do so at the foundation’s discretion. They’re open to welcoming visitors who vow to respect the intentions of the space.

Your best bet for how to visit Plantel Matilde is to email the Fundación Javier Marin. Intimate tours for small groups are available on days and times of the foundation’s choosing. As of the time of this writing, tours last roughly 45-minutes to one and a half hours and cost $700 MXN ($35 USD) per person. A second option includes a traditional Yucatecan lunch following the tour, which costs $1,300 MXN ($65 USD) all-included, per person. If this seems expensive, remember you’re exploring the private world of a major Mexican artist. Plus, the cost of the tour goes directly toward supporting the local women artisans of Sac Chich.

If you plan to visit Plantel Matilde from Merida, or from most places in Yucatan, it’s well off the beaten path so you’ll definitely need a rental car. I highly recommend booking with Discover Cars.

The Wrap

If you love exciting contemporary architecture and unique experiences, zoom Plantel Matilde to the top of your list of essential places to visit in Yucatan. Plantel Matilde’s bucolic setting, staggering scale and inspired, jaw-dropping design guarantee it’ll be a major highlight of your trip! If you’d like to discover even more unique places to visit near Merida, head over to this article where I share some of my favorite, less-traveled destinations.

Inspired travels, Friend! 💜

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