Edward James' Sculptured Garden

English translation: , Edward James’ Sculptured Garden , In 1945, British poet and artist Edward James visited Xilitla and was fascinated by the peace and tranquility of the forest, the abundant flow of water through the stream, and the exuberant vegetation and fauna to be found all of which spurred him to settle in what he considered the Garden of Eden. , James planned this garden to be a sanctuary of orchids and other exotic plants, as well as a refuge for various animals and birds. In the summer of 1962 freezing weather destroyed about 15,000 orchids, awakening on him an obsession to build a surrealistic architectural fantasy of ecstatic concrete figures that would combine to integrate into the plant-life architecture of Nature. Thus, he argued, extreme climate changes would no longer be able to ruin his dreams. Plutarco Gastelum, James's close friend, became the administrator in the development of the construction of the garden, a job he carried out with a great number of local workers whom he employed to contribute their empirical knowledge of constructions in an artistic work previously unknown to them. According to James, this project could never have been accomplished in any other place, thus highly elevating the value of the local workers. , An important part in the development of the project was the contribution of woodcraft artist José Aguilar Camacho. James would show him the drawing of a figure he wanted built, and Don José would begin to fashion the wooden mold that would act as a formwork in which the concrete could be poured. For the most part, these molds were totally handcrafted and are recognized still today by art critics as artistic pieces in themselves. , James added some arrangements to Las Pozas, the name by which the stream has always been known, in order to make the bather more comfortable, integrating at certain points different decorative figures. Though the number of structures considered notable is 36, in the end it depends on the observation point of the viewer, as there are no limits to the human imagination. , Upon James's death in 1984, the development of this project terminated yet as it stands, the garden is considered the most important surrealistic monument in the world and James's greatest legacy to humanity. The property was inherited to the Gastelum Llamazares brothers, whom James considered his adoptive family. , The place opened to the public at the beginning of the 1990s, an act which showed the world an incomparable and truly aesthetic work of art where Nature and art combine awakening in those who visit indescribable sensations created by the fresh water and lovely waterfall of the stream that murmurs as it curves around one side of the garden. , The Xilitla Fund was created in November 2007, supported by the Pedro y Elena Hernández A. C. Foundation, Grupo Cemex, and the State Government of San Luis Potosí, as well as private parties interested in conservation of the garden. The priority of the foundation in charge is to stop deterioration of the site as well as conserve the natural environment for the enjoyment of future generations. . This historical marker is in Xilitla San Luis Potosí Mexico