Historical Center, SLP, Mexico
From the Andalusian Arabic addukkán or addukkín, and this from the classical Arabic Dukkān
In Spanish, adoquín (cobblestone)
Meaning: stone or wooden bench
He struck the ground sharply
and began crumbling like a pile of stones
Pedro Páramo | Juan Rulfo
Located in Plaza del Carmen, in the historic center of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, framed by the emblematic buildings of Teatro de la Paz and the Museo Nacional de la Máscara, The project aims to create a space that invites reflection and dialogue on the architectural, urban, and landscape heritage of the city, Based on an exercise of resignification and valorizations of two characteristic and representative materials of the city: cobblestone and wood
Throughout its development, the historic core of the city has been characterized as an architectural heritage in which pink stonework has been used in its buildings and emblematic streets, extracted from the surrounding geological landscape. The cobblestone dukkān-adoquín), a carved stone in the shape of a rectangular prism, is an integral part of this heritage. It is primarily used for paving the streets of the first square and in the courtyards of historic buildings, including domestic, educational, religious, industrial, and cultural architectures.
In this context, the project highlights the significance of the cobblestone, a material whose use has been steadily declining. As a tribute to Land Art, the intervention is conceived as a stone circle that showcases and emphasizes the tectonics and symbolism of the material. A cyclical space, it evokes the passage of time—texture, surface, porosity—dense, gravelly, and rough. It embodies memory. The material also reflects the territory, its natural and cultural landscape, along with the details and constructive solutions found in the streets and local architecture..
The cobblestone pieces have been recovered from a textile factory courtyard in the Barrio de San Sebastián. By occupying the space of the Plaza, they acquire new meaning, so that once the exhibition concludes, they will return to their original location and once again become part of the city’s heritage.
The project is enhanced by a series of wooden beams that have also been recovered, transformed, and re-signified as seating elements, creating a space for observation, coexistence, and dialogue—a space for meeting and reflection..
Credits
Team formed by:
x-studio | Ivan Juarez
Antonio Cárdenas Gorab
Luz Aranguren . Reynaldo Delgado Sánchez (Amber Light)
Within the framework of the PIH Forum | Talk-Imagine-Make City
photographs: X-studio | Ivan Juarez, Alber Studio and Antonio C. Gorab
