A simple dynamic gesture led to this tall, thin concrete emblematic shape.

‘Each year around two million people set out on their pilgrimage through the Mexican county of Jalisco, along the 117 kilometres of the Ruta del Peregrino. The route of their pilgrimage leads them from the city of Ameca, over the mountain Cerro del Obispo until the point of the Espinazo del Diablo and finally into the destination town of Talpa de Allende with the shrine of the Holy Virgin of Talpa.

In 2008 the tourism office of Jalisco resolved upon a masterplan in order to create a better infrastructure for the pilgrims and at the same time draw visitors from around the world to Western Mexico. The Mexican architects Tatiana Bilbao, Derek Dellekamp and Rozana Montiel have invited selected architects and designers to grapple in their designs with the history of the pilgrims’ route as well as with the craggy mountain landscape in the West of Mexico. Nine landmarks are the outcome of this process, among these places to rest and places of contemplation, designed by Dellekamp Arquitectos, Rozana Montiel (Periférica), Alejandro Aravena (Elemental), HHF architects, Luis Aldrete, Tatiana Bilbao, Ai Weiwei (Fake Design), Godoylab and Christ & Gantenbein.

The column on the peak of the Cerro del Obispo, a mountain with almost 2,000 metres height, protrudes like a huge bone out of the woody landscape above the valley of Ameca. A detached, organically shaped monolithic concrete wall composes the tower of 26.55 metres that can be acceded from one side through a small entrance. Inside a unique view into the sky awaits the visitor – and the sunlight, that comes in through the opening, reflected from the light concrete walls, gathering on the floor.’

ARCHITECT: Christ & Gantenbein, Emanuel Christ, Christoph Gantenbein, Basel, Switzerland. PHOTOGRAPHER: Iwan Baan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. CLIENT: Secretaría de Turismo de Jalisco. LOCATION: Ruta del Peregrino, Mexico. DESCRIPTION: Landmark. STATUS: completed. AREA: 19.75 sqm. PROJECT TEAM: Andrea Sauter, Anette Schick, Jennifer Schmachtenberg, Kai Timmermann. CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT: David Vaner / Tatiana Bilbao S.C., Luis Aldrete. DATE: . No part of this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Morfae and the copyright owner.