It's a bit of an education incorporating World Heritage Sites into travel. When I took a trip to Mexico City in January 2017, I knew I'd be viewing several sites dedicated to meso-American civilizations, some dedicated to Spanish colonialism, and hopefully a natural site dedicated to the monarch butterfly migration. I also included a visit to a 20th century site honoring a Mexican architect obscure to me, even through he was the second architect to receive the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize: The Luis Barragán House and Studio.

I made my reservations for the visit in advance, and joined a small group of international visitors for the tour of the home and studio. I had chosen to pay the fee to bring a camera, and I found there were a lot of clean lines and bright contrasting colors to photograph as we walked through the house. The wooden staircase in the library was probably the highlight for me inside, though I also appreciated the simplicity of Barragán's bedroom. The rooftop terrace was memorable, with its bold orange and fuchsia walls, but I preferred the green oases of the backyard garden and the courtyard with the jars. After touring the house, the studio seemed a bit plain, though functional.

Overall I'm glad I visited the site, but I'm not certain Barragán would have been one of my first choices to add to the list for modern architecture. Still, I can understand Mexico's pride in celebrating one of their own.

Logistics: As others have mentioned, Constituyentes Metro station on Line 7 is the closest metro station to Barragan's home and studio, and is only a short walk away.