"The name Luis Barragan evokes images of Latin American modernism - brightly colored plain surfaces set off against lush foliage, subtly resonant of local form and culture. Barragan's 1,250-acre Gardens of El Pedregal subdivision, begun in 1945 on the lava fields south of Mexico City, were dotted with houses and plazas, fountains and ponds, cacti and pepper trees.

He considered El Pedregal his most important project, and critics have described the houses and gardens there as a turning point in Mexican modern architecture.".

"This book examines El Pedregal's program and form, its representation in architect-commissioned photographs and advertising, and its place within contemporary discourses on cultural identity, design and place, and suburbanization. It offers an in-depth analysis of this project through original documents, drawings, photographs, and critical examinations of the design and marketing processes."--BOOK JACKET.