Some 10 years ago I spent a summer in Guadalajara, Mexico.
There were some really cool attractions there, and one thing I remember was a cathedral or building with fancy architecture, I believe with murals painted on the ceiling. But the thing I remember most vividly is there was a big mirror on the floor to reflect the ceiling, and if you looked down into it, it felt like you were looking down, into the ceiling of the cathedral far below.
I’m pretty sure I remember it so well because it freaked me right out.
Anyhow, one theory I have is that it was the *Man of Fire * mural by Orozco and the building was the Hospicio Cabañas, a former orphanage-turned-World Heritage Site, and I definitely remember the Hospicio Cabañas, but I can’t see any reference to a mirror there when I Google.
Alas, on my Guadalajara visit the Hospicio Cabañas was closed in preparation for a pan-Hispanic conference including the King of Spain & reps from every country in Latin America. So I didn’t get to see those great murals.
But we stayed at the Hotel Frances, across from the Palacio Gobierno, where another mural by Jose Clemente Orozco wraps itself around a staircase. Powerful stuff.
Looking into that mirror was freaky indeed. I’m afraid of heights and I couldn’t bring myself to get too close. It’s like staring down into a beautiful abyss.
