Cámara Houses

Between 1870 and 1920, Yucatán experienced a period of economic prosperity as a result of the rise of the henequen industry. In January 1888, with the support of a group of landowners, industrialists and businessmen, a project arose to build a boulevard modeled after Champs Elysées in Paris, which they called Paseo de Montejo.[3] Soon, many wealthy Yucatecan families began to build European-style mansions along Paseo de Montejo, including Casa Vales (Agustín Vales), Palacio Cantón (Francisco Cantón), Casa Peón de Regil (Peón family), Casa Molina Duarte (Olegario Molina), Casa del Minaret (Peón family), Quinta Montes Molina (Avelino Montes), among others.[4]

In 1905, two brothers, Ernesto and Camilo Cámara, decided to build two houses in the neoclassical style, on a lot with just over 3,000 m² which they owned facing the Paseo de Montejo.[1]

Both houses were designed by Gustave Umbdenstock, a French architect who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris.

The de la Cámara family are a Spanish noble family that can trace their origins to the Reconquista, having been ennobled by King Ferdinand III of Castile after the Siege of Baeza in 1227.[5] In 1539, Juan de la Cámara, originally from Alcalá de Henares, came to the New World with Francisco de Montejo, fighting in the Spanish conquest of Yucatán.[6] Later, in 1542, he was one of the founders of Mérida.[7][8] During the Viceregal period, the Cámaras married the descendants of other conquistadores, becoming a notable family of the Mexican nobility[9] and amongst the most important landowners in the Yucatán Peninsula. In the second half of the 19th century, Yucatán became the world's main producer of henequen fiber; out of its haciendas came 90% of the sacks and rope consumed internationally.[10] The boom rapidly transformed the Yucatán into the wealthiest and most industrialized region in Mexico. In this context, "the traditional landowning families, owners of latifundios, encomiendas and estancias, whose prestige came from the viceregal period, demonstrated a mysterious ability to adapt to the changing economic order."[11] The Cámara family formed part of "a group of 20 or 30 industrialists who concentrated control of the land, being capable of producing 50% of the henequen, controlling close to 90% of its trade and directing the regional political destinies; in other words, they formed an oligarchy,"[12] also known as the divine caste, whose members forged "incalculable fortunes, placing them among the richest men in the Americas."[13]

The grand staircase was built in the French Second Empire Style. On the main floor, the staircase is preceded by a portal of paired columns, the shafts carved in a single piece of Bianco Carrara marble imported from Italy, which complement the steps.

Since 1905, the Cámara brothers had contacted Gustave Umbdenstock and agreed that he would design a couple of residences to be built in Mérida and for which the necessary materials would be imported from Europe. Umbdenstock was a French architect that had studied at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris and who had been the chief architect for the construction of the "Palais de France" at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904.[14] Umbdenstock would be in charge of the floor plans, the façades and the interior design of both houses.

By 1907, the floor plans were ready and Umbdenstock had them published in the April and May issues of the French magazine "La Construction Moderne" under the title "Hôtels particuliers à Mérida (Mexique)".[1] The "four-story houses were structured around a triple central height (covered by a skylight) around which the various rooms and a large grand staircase were grouped, and which they served (thanks to two additional staircases) the servant quarters in the semi-basement. The façades are of a clear Beaux-Arts design in the Second Empire style and could have been designed to fit comfortably in the Boulevard Saint Germain or the Champs Elysées in Paris [...] Around the large central space, the Grand Hall, the various lounges, library, dining room and games room (billiard room) are distributed on the main floor."[1] Additionally, each house has 10 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms.

Construction began in 1908 under the supervision of Manuel G. Cantón, a civil engineer, who would build the houses according to the exact specifications provided by Umbdenstock in Paris. Manuel Cantón had previously built the Cantón Palace (Palacio Cantón), as a private residence for his uncle, General Francisco Cantón, the former governor of Yucatán (1898 -1902); the Cantón Palace has housed the Regional Museum of Anthropology (Museo Regional de Antropología) since it was founded by Fernando Cámara Barbachano in 1966.

The Cámara Houses viewed from Paseo de Montejo

When the Mexican Revolution started, in November 1910, the houses were still incomplete; nevertheless, despite the political instability, work continued. The southern-facing house was finished in September 1911. Many of the materials were imported directly from Europe, including finishing touches for the ceilings, carrara marble for the floors and paired columns, the iron balustrades for the staircase and balconies and the cabinetry. The house also had modern installation work: hidden plumbing, electricity and telephone service.[1]

Both houses served as private residences for the Cámara family and soon came to be known as las Casas Cámara, after its owners. They are also known as the Twin Houses (Casas gemelas) even though the two houses are similar but not quite identical. In 1964, one of the houses was sold to Fernando Barbachano Peón, the business magnate who was responsible for developing the tourism industry in the Yucatán Peninsula.[15]

For over 100 years, the Cámara Houses have served as the private residence for the Cámara and Barbachano families until one of the two houses was opened to the public as a museum in 2021 by owner Maruja Barbachano Herrero.[1][16] The other house remains in private ownership having recently been acquired by Mario Molina, a wealthy heir of the Molina family.[17] Over the years, the house has received many guests from the international jet set; these include Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Umberto II of Italy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.[2]