Antonio Rivas Mercado settled in Mexico City in 1926 to spend his last months of life. To do so, he chose the place that, with his creativity and cunning as an architect, had transformed since the twentieth century began. On January 3, 1927, the architect died, surrounded by his relatives, in the house he had designed and conceptualized, at number 45 of Héroes Street, in the Guerrero neighborhood.
For many, Rivas Mercado was just a decoration specialist that had transformed the halls of the National Palace or Chapultepec Castle. For others, Antonio Rivas Mercado had changed the image of the country and the daily life of those who, with their creativity, had given them dazzling residences. What are the contributions of this Mexican architect beyond its memorable designs such as the Column of Independence or the Juarez Theater in Guanajuato?
In the number 18 of Avenida Juárez, the facade of what was the residence of “El Rey del Pulque”, Ignacio Torres Adalid and his wife, Juana Rivas Mercado, sister of the architect, remains standing.Great Houses from Mexico / Rafael Fierro Gossman
The great palaces of «The King of Pulque»
In 1868 one of the most recognized businessmen in the country, Ignacio Torres Adalid, married a young woman Belonging to one of the most distinguished families in Nayarit, Juana Rivas Mercado. As Rafael Fierro Gossman indicates, in 1879 Torres Adalid entrusted his brother -in -law, Antonio Rivas Mercado, The remodeling of one of the richest haciendas in the country, San Antonio ometuscoin the State of Mexico. The creative had returned from Paris and created for the hacienda, patios and colorful balustrades covered with bright tiles and tiles.
Ignacio Torres Adalid, who was known as «The King of Pulque», had made his fortune grow in a huge way And with this, he took the opportunity to buy land in various parts of the country's capital. This is how the design and construction of various types of projects were responsible for his brother -in -law. The most special was, perhaps, his particular residence in 1884 on Juárez Avenuewhose facade still persists although inside, the panorama has been radically transformed.
In 1899, the architect's sister died and, according to a last will, Antonio would take care of his mausoleum design in the prestigious French pantheon. After the death of Ignacio Torres Adalid in 1914, his body would also be buried in that place, which is distinguished from others by their colors and eclectic design.