The Sea Shell Grotto at Casa de Maquinas

Casa de Maquinas in Merida, Mexico is a historical hacienda that has been beautifully restored and gracefully repurposed. Purchased as a ruin by Josefina Larrain and her husband, the hacienda evolved through years of their hard work and attention to unique details. One of those details — and our favorite — is the Sea Shell Grotto.

Cyndy Berger, the current owner, told us that Josefina created the design, collected the sea shells and laid them out for the masons to install on a tunnel that connects the central courtyard with the hacienda’s pool and gardens. The pieces are so well placed and the tunnel so well created, that the design has only lost a few shells over the years. Whenever Cyndy and her husband Howard are in Celestun or Holbox, they scour the beaches for the tiny pink shells to replace those that have fallen.

"The tunnel,” she says, “has become a place to stop and sit and pause your day to admire the work that went into creating this work of art.”

We can definitely picture ourselves sitting here, with a cup of coffee, admiring the curves and pieces that make this whole tunnel so unique and wonderful.

To check them out, learn more and stay at the Casa de Maquinas, click here.

Photographs: Paulina Cervantes; Casa de Maquinas