Posada del Sol: Mexico City’s most extravagant hotel that never was

On the country of Avenida Niños Héroes and Calle Dr. J. Navarro looms a towering, derelict operation with a facade resembling a collage — antithetic patterns of ceramic and tile punctuated by arched windows and iron-wrought balconies. As is the unfortunate destiny of galore abandoned buildings, it’s swarming successful graffiti and shards of breached glass. It’s hard to ideate that 80 years ago, this crumbling edifice was acceptable to beryllium the world’s astir extravagant edifice — only, it ne'er was.

What’s the past down (and beneath!) Posada del Sol, the architectural gem situated successful the halfway of the Doctores neighborhood? More importantly: what’s its future?

A Spanish visionary’s thought for a Mexican marvel

Once a grandiose dream, today, the Posada del Sol lies abandoned. (Mas por Mas)

The twelvemonth was 1945, and the Doctores vicinity was growing, attracting working-class families and tiny concern owners acknowledgment to a cardinal determination and affordable housing. Originally called “Hidalgo,” the country became known arsenic Doctores due to the fact that astir each of its streets were named aft celebrated physicians. It seemed to Spanish-born engineer Fernando Saldaña Galván the perfect spot to unleash his vision: a luxurious analyzable intended arsenic a gathering spot for artists and intellectuals, featuring much than 600 rooms, an auditorium, a chapel, theater, library, and swimming pool.

The gathering showcased a fusion of architectural styles — creation deco, baroque, and neo-colonial design. The analyzable overtook much than fractional a block; 15 buildings down elephantine greenish gates housed gardens, patios, fountains, terraces, and brightly painted murals, not to notation Turkish baths and beverage rooms. Local lore speaks of winding concealed passages beneath the structure, possibly serving arsenic unit transport or,more enticingly, occult rituals. Like truthful overmuch astir Posada del Sol, their beingness remains unverified. What is verified is simply a spectacular fountain created by Colombian creator Rómulo Rozo, which depicts a pistillate gazing astatine the universe. Roberto Cueva del Río, a Puebla creator commissioned by President Lázaro Cárdenas connected respective occasions, painted a country from the law signing of Apatzingán successful 1814. Inside the plot is simply a chromatic plaque signed by Saldaña Galván himself, which reads “Considering the adverse circumstances during the execution of La Posada del Sol that determination volition beryllium fewer men susceptible of projecting, building, and finishing it.” These words would seal the hotel’s destiny — the Posada remained unfastened to the nationalist for conscionable a fewer months.

From imagination to nightmare

The edifice opened portion operation was inactive being completed, though enactment would beryllium wholly suspended the aforesaid twelvemonth of its inauguration. Saldaña Galván’s fiscal load was overwhelming — immoderate publications, similar El Financiero, suggest that helium erstwhile held a presumption successful nationalist office, which allowed him to get resources indispensable to physique it. This strategy yet proved insufficient successful completing his ambitious vision.

The gathering was rapidly expropriated by the authorities and, according to household relatives, Saldaña Galván fell into a heavy depression. Details astir his decease successful 1952 stay murky: immoderate accidental his assemblage was recovered hanging from a doorbell successful the courtyard, straight successful beforehand of a San Francisco de Asís statue. Other legends instrumentality it a measurement further, claiming helium murdered his woman and children earlier taking his ain life. A factual mentation has yet to beryllium released, though astir hold that helium committed termination owed to economical pressures. Interestingly enough, determination are nary published photos of Saldaña Galván to beryllium found.

For astir 2 decades, Posada del Sol would service arsenic assorted administrative office earlier yet falling into neglect nether the attraction of national authorities successful the precocious 1970s. Since then, the edifice has remained abandoned, perchance owed to precocious restoration costs, structural concerns, and wide bureaucratic issues. 

The corridors of the Posada del Sol don’t conscionable fell the ruins of a failed dream… (Rolloid.net)

The shade stories that specify Posada del Sol 

The abandoned halls of Posada del Sol person go a magnet for the macabre. Neighbors person claimed to perceive screams astatine night, documentary filmmakers person reported unexplained shadows and feelings of being watched.

Among these tales, the small miss of country 103 has proven remarkably persistent.

During the 1960s, the Hotel Posada del Sol became the office of IDECO, a assemblage improvement and agrarian lodging institution. Employees had entree to a daycare halfway wrong the aged hotel’s walls. Legend has it that 1 small miss went missing, and aft respective hours of investigation, her lifeless assemblage was recovered successful country 103. Another mentation of the aforesaid fable claims that the girl’s shade is really that of Fernando Saldaña’s daughter.

Whoever the unfortunate kid mightiness be, her tone remains trapped successful that country and anyone who dares to participate mightiness brushwood her ghost. The walls are adorned with cartoon drawings and cryptic messages, and successful the backmost country is an altar holding an antique girl’s formal and candies, toys, faded photographs, flowers, and candles. Visitors permission specified offerings not retired of the goodness of their hearts but alternatively retired of fear: it’s believed that the miss curses those who research the edifice ruins without leaving her a gift.

Further supporting the fable are the actors and accumulation teams of “Yago”, a Mexican telanovela, and the sequel to “Km 31”, a Mexican fearfulness flick. Some study having seen the miss look successful country 103, and others admitted fearfulness kept them from going to the bath alone. Rumors swirl that successful an effort to support the kid “calm”, the accumulation squad created the aforementioned altar and continues its upkeep to this day.

Modern attempts and the destiny of the hotel

The past of Posada del Sol’s abandonment has been punctuated by repeated attempts astatine revival, each ending successful failure. In 1998, section politicians tried to person the premises into the Office of the Attorney General of Justice of the Federal District. Unfortunately, that program ne'er materialized.

It was subsequently contemplated that it would marque a large office for a Faro de Artes y Oficios (Arts and Crafts Workshop). But that thought ne'er came to fruition, either. In January 2021, the Real Estate Heritage Committee of the Government of Mexico City donated the spot successful the Doctores vicinity to the Universidad del Bienestar Benito Juárez to make the instrumentality school. The donation was announced by Claudia Sheinbaum, past the caput of authorities of CDMX. Sheinbaum explained that the Building Safety Institute had to behaviour a precise thorough survey to find which parts could beryllium demolished and which parts could beryllium reconstructed. 

Yet adjacent this latest inaugural appears stalled. Sheinbaum estimated that the caller Law School would run that aforesaid year. However, the Universidad del Bienestar portal indicates that renovation enactment has not yet been carried retired astatine Posada del Sol. Until now, nary definitive plans person been realized. 

The gathering presently belongs to the Government of the superior and is utilized occasionally arsenic a determination for movie productions, arsenic good arsenic a warehouse for confiscated furniture. Some judge it was the designer himself who sealed the building’s destiny — by placing a curse connected the premises earlier his death, helium ensured his beloved posada would ne'er beryllium thing else. Today, the operation remains successful oblivion, its aboriginal arsenic uncertain arsenic the legends that haunt its corridors.

Bethany Platanella is a question planner and manner writer based successful Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine deed that comes straight aft booking a level ticket, exploring section markets, practicing yoga and munching connected caller tortillas. Sign up to person her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog or travel her on Instagram.