Image by Flickr user Lucy Nieto
Visitors to an abandoned Art Nouveau-style building in Toluca, Mexico, will find themselves transported to an amazing iridescent botanic wonderland. Formerly a market, it is now a greenhouse filled with beautiful stained glass art.
Built in 1910, it was the city’s first market until its closure in 1975. Local artist Leopoldo Flores convinced the Mexican government to turn it into a creative enclave, and under his watch the building was transformed into what he dubbed the “Cosmovitral”, a combination of the Spanish words for “cosmos” and “glass”.
Over the next 15 years, the building became an enchanted garden housing over 500 different varieties of plants from around the world, flourishing against the backdrop of giant brilliant stained glass windows and a stunning mosaic glass ceiling.
Aside from the interior’s breathtaking grandeur, the building is symbolic of the relationship between mankind and the heavens. Human figures and natural elements like fire and water populate the stained glass art, of which the most distinctive is a circular seal called ‘Hombre Sol’ which means ‘Sun Man’.
If you are in Mexico or are planning a trip there, it would be worth your while to visit this marvellous building and experience its splendor for yourself.
Image by Flickr user Lucy Nieto
Image by Flickr user Michael Mees
Image by Flickr user Lucy Nieto
Image by Flickr user Artificial influence
Image by Flickr user Lucy Nieto
Image by Flickr user Won-Tolla
Image by Flickr user Angélica Portales
[via Visual News, Geyser of Awesome and Kuriositas, images via Flickr users Lucy Nieto, Michael Mees, Won-Tolla, Artificial Influence, and Angélica Portales]