La Escondida Chapel

TR

Designed collaboratively by Apaloosa Estudio de Arquitectura and Walter Flores Arquitecto, the chapel is located in La Garza, Mexico. The architects describe the project as follows:

A religious project regularly seeks an intimate spiritual connection, if it is an individual user; and in the case of a community, the functions are focused on commemorating a celebration. This common function requires creating a versatile and almost plastically simple concept; in which the protagonism lies in its users and that being or image of connection. The connection between a user and this higher being is regularly based on vertical orientation and it is here where the layout of the project meets these objectives.

The chapel is an amenity for the Villas La Escondida hotel complex, located in a town called La Garza, Chiapas; an area focused mainly on agronomy. The religious project seeks to create a very direct connection with its users, from a 500-meter pedestrian path; the main intention of the Chapel being located at this distance, lies in the experience of the path to the same piece. “That it is in sight, but not at hand”, leaving a space for intimacy and privacy between the user and the higher being.

Maintenance in these areas can require a lot of attention, which is why the chapel walls are separated from the ground and are barely joined by the altarpiece, they are not even joined by a tangible cover, that is, a glass dome allows the passage of natural light that is degraded until it does not drastically affect the floor, which in turn absorbs this natural light, due to its dark tone with the benefit of being easy to clean and does not require treatment.

Thanks to its strategic location, the structure offers a place of rest and shelter to the pilgrimage groups of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who travel the route from Villa Corzo to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. These pilgrims, often exhausted by sunstroke, lack of food and extreme fatigue due to long journeys, find respite in this place both under the large tree and under the protection of the chapel.

The versatility of this architectural piece allows not only the celebration of Catholic masses, but also the performance of ceremonies of various religions, since its design lacks specific symbols that associate it with any particular belief. The chapel is defined by its simplicity and openness, allowing natural light and materials to become the protagonists, evoking a sense of spirituality and transcendence without the need for religious images or iconography. It is the light that penetrates its walls and its materiality that gives this space a sacred atmosphere, functioning as an immaterial deity that envelops those who seek refuge and contemplation.