Þórdís - Textile Factory

It is the home of El Centro de las Artes San Agustín Etla, also known as CASA. Founded by Francisco Toledo, CASA is committed to education, artistic creation and experimentation, and as a public space. CASA is a former spinning and weaving factory founded in 1883 by José Zorrilla Trápaga for manufacturing raw cotton yarns, blankets, and denim fabrics. It was located here due to the abundant water from the San Felipe. Power came from a small hydroelectric plant. After being abandoned in the eighties, Francisco Toledo purchased this property in 2000 in order to create the first eco-arts center in Latin America. Architect Claudina Morales Lopez designed the space and it was funded through the National Center for the Arts (CENART), the State Government, and private foundations including the Harp Helú Foundation and Friends of the IAGO. CASA opened its doors on March 21, 2006. Today CASA is comprised of a set of spaces providing for artistic initiation and creation. It has spaces equipped for the production of digital graphics, traditional graphic and dyeing workshops and textile design, photographic developing and organic printing. CASA offers the public a library of over three thousand volumes. Under the assumption that the interaction with people from different lands stimulates creativity, promotes tolerance and strengthens a community, CASA invites artists to perform residencies giving priority to projects of ecological and community care.

El Centro de las Artes is a beautiful museum and centre for arts which focuses on projects that are ecological and/or dedicated to community and multiculturalism. We have twice visited the centre, but it is mainly the extraordinary architecture of the place and the fact that the houses were actually constructed as a textile factory that we find astonishing. The factory was founded in 1883 and manufactured raw cotton yarns, blankets and denim fabrics. There is plenty of water in San Agustin and the factory got its power from a small local hydroelectric plant. The presence of water is neatly incorporated into the architecture. Walking around the various sections of the museum and art spaces one is reminded of palaces and mansions, not of a factory. Can you imagine if Hampiðjan had been designed and constructed in a similar manner? After visiting we discussed how aesthetics influence our experience and talked about the importance of learning and working in beautiful surroundings.