15 Women Architects Building Tomorrow in Mexico

March 8 is a date established by the UN in 1975 to commemorate the struggle for equal rights and universal suffrage. This commemoration honors the efforts of women who demanded their right to vote, to work, to professional training, to hold public office, and to fight labor discrimination.

This struggle is the result of the dedication of women who sacrificed themselves for the cause. Various daily events show that the social landscape has changed. However, it is essential that both men and women commit to progress and justice to make things happen.

In Mexico, the struggle within the field of architecture has been represented by several women who swam against the current, leaving a significant mark on history. Such is the case of María Luisa Dehesa (1912–2009), the first woman in Mexico to receive an architecture degree, and Ruth Rivera Marín (1927–1969)—daughter of writer Guadalupe Marín and painter Diego Rivera—who was the first woman to enter the School of Engineering and Architecture of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico.

The current landscape of women in Mexican architecture is strongly marked by architects positioned on the global stage with extensive professional careers, such as Tatiana Bilbao, Rozana Montiel, Gabriela Etchegaray, Frida Escobedo, Gabriela Carrillo, and Fernanda Canales, among others.

However, we believe this story continues to be woven across generations. That is why we set out to compile the stories and work of fifteen women architects who, in addition to receiving international recognition and awards, are shaping the future of architecture and women in Mexico through their actions today.

Ingrid Moye

Ingrid Moye is the co-founder of the architectural studio Zeller & Moye, which operates globally and multidisciplinarily. With a working method based on extensive experimentation, the studio aims to articulate relevant proposals for the contemporary world. They develop projects of all scales and diverse programs, ranging from object design to urban master plans. Her work operates at the intersection of art, design, and architecture, treating each project as a unique and specific concept.

Among her most recent projects are: Hollow, a permanent public installation at the Royal Fort Gardens in Bristol, England; Casa Verne, the renovation of a 1930s mansion in Mexico City, Mexico; the exhibition design for 'Neue Stoffe/New Stuff' at the Textilmuseum St. Gallen, Switzerland; first place in the competition for the Martin Luther Memorial in Berlin, Germany; and the Anfal Memorial in Kurdistan, Iraq; among others.

Ilse Cárdenas and Regina de Hoyos

Graduates of the UNAM Faculty of Architecture and co-founders of the young Mexico City-based architecture firm PALMA.

At the firm, we focus on devising comprehensive and individual solutions to each architectural problem, based on a detailed analysis of the immediate context and through a design process open to experimentation and exploration, undertaking the search for an architecture of atmospheres with a unique identity, that moves and belongs.

We are currently developing projects in Mexico, the United States, and Norway. At the end of 2016, we were in charge of the exhibition design for Archivo's “MXCD01-Presente.” Finalists in the LIGA and Pabellón Arquine competitions, both in 2016. Included in the “Young Mexican Firms” selection on the Divisare website. At the end of 2017, we won first place in the “Juguetes Urbanos” competition organized by Laboratorio para la Ciudad and were selected as 1 of the 5 finalists in the Feria Internacional de las Culturas Amigas 2018 "FICA" competition.

Regina Galvanduque

Regina Galvanduque (Mexico, 1984) is the founder and director of GLVDK. She lives and works between New York and Mexico. After graduating and receiving the Design Award in Architectural Design from the Parsons School of Design in 2008, she worked for Taller de Enrique Norten in New York City.

In 2010, she led the Experience and Brand Department at Grupo MYT, and in 2011, she founded GLVDK. Since then, Regina has focused her practice on architecture, interior design, artistic sculpture, design, production, curation, and ephemeral installations. Her primary challenge is to deliver projects with a special focus on material research and contextual integration.

Jimena Hogrebe

Jimena Hogrebe Rodríguez (Mexico City, 1982) views architecture as a blend of reflective and creative practices that allows for exploration from various perspectives. Consequently, she has sought to work in project design and development, as well as in research, writing, and teaching. This combination, along with her work in other disciplines like literature, has allowed her to build her own path—at times solitary, and at others, richly collaborative.

She holds a degree in architecture from UNAM (2001–2007) and an MA in Architectural History from The Bartlett School of Architecture in London (2009–2010). Working both independently and collaboratively, she has dedicated herself to architectural design and development, research, and alternative projects. She is a member of Colectivo de UNO, winners of the public competition to build Paseo Parián, the pavilion for FICA 2017 in Mexico City's Zócalo. She is also part of Obra en Obra, a project featuring artistic interventions in architectural spaces under construction. Previously, she worked at NGB Arquitectos and InSitu developing public and private projects.

She received the CEMEX Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship in 2009 and the FONCA Young Creators Fellowship for 2010–2011 and 2015–2016. She has exhibited research and design projects in Mexico, London, and Rome. Additionally, she has been a speaker at various institutions and a juror for several national competitions. Her writing has been published in outlets such as ArchDaily, Arquine, Baumeister, Blog de Crítica, Domus México, La Tempestad, and Materia Arquitectura, and she currently writes a monthly opinion column for PortaVOZ. She recently contributed to the book Nuño Mac Gregor De Buen, published by Arquine in 2017. She is an adjunct professor at UNAM and Centro, and a part-time professor at Universidad Anáhuac México.

Isabel Martínez Abascal

Isabel Martínez Abascal is an architect graduated from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and co-founder of LANZA-Atelier. She studied at the Technische Universität Berlin and the Vastu Shilpa Foundation in Ahmedabad, India. She has collaborated with the offices SANAA (Tokyo), Aranguren & Gallegos (Madrid), Anupama Kundoo (Berlin), and Pedro Mendes da Rocha (São Paulo).

She taught design studio for six years at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, Escola da Cidade, in São Paulo. She has participated as a professor in the XXIV Cartagena International Workshop, the 2010 Medellín Ibero-American Biennial, the 2012 Curitiba International Seminar, and the 2012 Rio Olympics Workshop at the California College of the Arts. She contributed to the curatorial team of the X São Paulo Architecture Biennial in 2013, curated the exhibition "13" for the inaugural cycle of the Museo La Conservera in Murcia in 2014, and curated the exhibition "Visionary Instruments" by artist Almudena Lobera for the Museo ECCO in Cádiz in 2015.

From July 2015 to August 2017, she directed the platform LIGA, Space for Architecture DF, which is dedicated to the exhibition, promotion, and discussion of Latin American architecture.

Mariana Ordóñez Grajales

Chetumal, Mexico, 1986. Co-founder of Comunal Taller de Arquitectura. She studied architecture at UADY and holds a Master's in Sustainable Architecture, Design, and Construction from the Universidad del Medio Ambiente, and is currently pursuing a Master's in Housing at Centro. Her professional practice focuses on developing community projects in rural areas. She is a professor at the UIA in the Regenerative Impact workshop and was a FONCA Young Creators fellow (2016–2017).

Jesica Amescua Carrera

Mexico City, Mexico, 1983. Co-founder of Comunal Taller de Arquitectura. She is an architect graduated from the UIA. She holds a Master's in Analysis, Theory, and History of Architecture from UNAM and is a doctoral candidate in the Architecture Program at the same institution. She was a fellow of FONCA-CONACULTA in the Cultural Projects and Co-investments Support Program (2010–2012). She is a tenured professor at the UIA in the Vertical Studio: Regenerative Impact Projects.

Margarita Peredo

Architect graduated from ITESO (Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education) and holds a Master's in Theory and History of Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona.

Prior to founding Macías Peredo, she collaborated with various national and international firms. She has been an invited critic and speaker at several universities and has presented her research on Mathias Goeritz in various national forums.

Since 2010, she has taught design studios at ITESO in Guadalajara and is the co-director of Estudio Macías Peredo.

Ana Cecilia Garza

Architect graduated from ITESM (Monterrey). Partner at S-AR since 2006, with which she has earned several national and international awards, including first place in the XXI Cemex Building Award 2012 (Mexico), the Design Vanguard Award 2013 (New York, USA), and selection for the Latin American Architecture Biennial 2015 (Pamplona, Spain), the Emerging Voices Award 2016 (New York, USA), the Mexican Pavilion at the 15th and 16th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and 2018 (Venice, Italy), and the XX Architecture and Urbanism Biennial of Chile 2017 (Valparaiso, Chile). Her work has been featured in the exhibition series of the Monoambiente Design and Architecture Gallery (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the exhibition program of LIGA, Space for Architecture (Mexico).

I believe our job is to create spaces responsibly. Responsibility toward the user and toward the city. And through that exercise, to transform conditions while simultaneously leveraging conditions and resources. Architecture is the responsible use of these resources.

María Sevilla Gómez

Architect graduated from ITESM (Monterrey). Partner at S-AR since 2008, with which she has won various national and international awards. She was selected for the Latin American Architecture Biennial 2015 (Pamplona, Spain), the Emerging Voices Award 2016 (New York, USA), and was chosen to exhibit at the Mexican Pavilion during the 15th and 16th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and 2018 (Venice, Italy).

Architecture is a means to create dignified spaces that enrich the experience of users, both individually and collectively. Highlighting and dignifying the specific characteristics of each site and its materials. Thus adding small works that, in turn, weave a better and more dignified city.

Andrea Soto

Architect graduated from the Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education [ITESO] in Guadalajara, Mexico, and co-founder of ATELIER ARS. Andrea Soto holds an MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was awarded the CEMEX Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship in 2015. She has been a speaker at Harvard GSD as part of the GSD Latino series, the Boston Architectural College (BAC), Taller Max Cetto UNAM, and all major universities in Mexico.

Among her office’s highlights are the Levering Trade project, which was nominated for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, 2016) and was a finalist in the X Ibero-American Architecture and Urbanism Biennial (São Paulo, Brazil, 2016); the Design Vanguard 2015 award from Architectural Record Magazine; the Emerging Voices Award 2015 from The Architectural League of New York; and first prize in the competition for the Center of the ITESO Culture Department (2015), among others.

Alejandra Abreu

Architect. Born in Mérida, Yucatán, on June 8, 1978. She studied architecture at the Universidad Marista de Mérida, representing the institution in the XVII Alberto J. Pani Architectural Composition Competition held in Mexico City.

In her professional career, she worked from 1998 to 2004 at the firm Duarte Aznar Arquitectos on projects such as the Inalámbrica Sports Center, the Regional Oncology Institute of Yucatán, the renovation of the Santa Ana Market, the Kin-Ha Housing Complex, and the Regional High Specialty Hospital, among others.

From 2002 to 2004, she taught "Computing in Architecture" in the Architecture program at the Universidad Marista de Mérida. From 2003 to 2004, she also served as the academic coordinator for the undergraduate Architecture program at the same university.

In 2004, she co-founded the firm AS Arquitectura + Diseño SCP with her brother Xavier Abreu, where she continues to practice as a partner today, developing various projects and receiving numerous awards and publications.

Fernanda Reyes

I studied Architecture at Tec de Monterrey Guadalajara campus, did my internship at the Tacher Arquitectos firm, where I also started my first job as project director for the Pabellón Casa Herradura (IX Bienal de Arquitectura Jalisciense). After this, I became independent to carry out the Tierra Adentro Restaurant and Event Garden project (Silver Medal at the 2nd Young Architects Biennial and Gold Medal at the IX CIDI Ibero-American Interior Design Biennial 2017-2018).

I am currently working on projects across various sectors such as hospitality, residential, offices, and commercial. I do not have a 100% defined vision; every year my perspective evolves. However, I can say that I primarily believe in 4 things when working on any project or idea: 1) Good design really can change the world, 2) There is no small project, 3) You always learn something new from every trade, 4) And last but most importantly: “sharing”—sharing ideas, sharing knowledge, sharing information; because everyone is connected, and we must help each other so that everything achieves a better result.

Paola López Carrillo

A graduate in architecture from the Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic, she paved her way to participate in various competitions and events across Latin America. Art and painting always provided her with the foundational tools to develop as an architect and later as a landscape architect. She was selected as a speaker by the Inter-institutional Program for the Strengthening of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the Pacific, and she contributed research to both the Inter-institutional Program for the Strengthening of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the Pacific and the Interdisciplinary Center for Research and Studies on Environment and Development of the National Polytechnic Institute (CIIEMAD) in 2010. She received an Honorable Mention at the Latin American level for the Habitat 4 project at the Latin American Social Workshop held in Quito, Ecuador, in 2011.

She relocated to Mexico City and collaborated with firms such as Taller Veinticuatro and Entorno Taller de Paisaje. In 2014, along with Carlos Ríos, she co-founded Taller PA AR Paisaje Architecture. She was a finalist in the international competition for the new Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, Germany, and was part of the team that won first place in the Monument to the Mother Park Regeneration Competition. She was also a finalist in the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Linear Park competition, and recipient of the 2017 Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's in Landscape Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.