Surrealistic Art and Nature Combine at 'Las Pozas' in Xilitla, Mexico Anne Sewell - Allvoices
go to original December 14, 2014

Monty Don visits Las Pozas, Edward James' surreal garden in Xilitla, Mexico. (D. Mudster)

In 1947, Edward James, an eccentric English poet and patron of the Surrealist movement, was living virtually in exile in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He was inspired to create an amazing jungle garden, filled with the most fascinating surrealist sculptures, which can be visited today.

When James moved to Mexico, he bought a coffee plantation, close to Xilitla in San Luis Potosi, a seven-hour drive north of Mexico City. He later named this plantation Las Pozas ("The Pools"). Rather than grow coffee, however, James planted orchids and also created a home for various exotic animals.

In 1962, however, a bad and unexpected frost destroyed most of his orchids and James turned his attention to another project. He began building the unusual and fascinating sculpture garden that can be seen at Las Pozas today.

His designs were inspired partly by his own orchids and partly by the wild vegetation of the Huastecan jungle surrounding his property, and by adding elements from the surrealist movement.

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