Quinta Gameros, Art Nouveau mansion in Chihuahua City, Mexico

Quinta Gameros is an Art Nouveau mansion in Chihuahua built by Colombian architect Julio Corredor Latorre, with a semibasement, ground level, first floor and garret across 10,760 sq. ft. Four female statues stand between the columns of the portico, and two sets of steps frame a small fountain of fishing boys. The facade mixes floral, animal and human details carved mainly in cantera.

The mansion was commissioned by Manuel Gameros in 1907, but the family fled to El Paso in 1913 as the Mexican Revolution took hold. The building then passed into the hands of various groups during the years of conflict.

The mansion's name comes from Manuel Gameros Ronquillo, the Porfirian engineer who had it built. Its rooms hold the Requena Furniture Collection, Art Nouveau pieces brought from Mexico City in 1971 under an agreement between the university, INAH and Pedro Fossas Requena. Look for the Tiffany stained glass window above the double staircase on the ground floor.

The building operates as a cultural center and offers guided tours in Spanish that explain the architectural and artistic features. It is worth taking time to slowly explore the rooms and examine the details at your own pace.

The Requena Furniture Collection has been shown here since 1971, when the UACH, INAH and Pedro Fossas Requena signed an agreement to display pieces from the Requena mansion in Mexico City. The furniture fills the rooms as a permanent exhibition, so the house is seen with the furnishings of a Belle Époque residence.