arte, arquitectura, cultura y ballenas de Sonora, México

Arquitecto Francisco Sánchez López historia en el mundo del arte y ecologia marina

Dear bloggers: Today a write about  part of my life and professional career in the world of architecture. Enjoy  it, please. I send this article to the Architectural Digest in the USA.

Jobs outside the architect profession.

During the years of formation on my career, I worked as draftsman and designer for a building company in Guadalajara and did side jobs as Hichol Indian Art professor and gave conferences on the Yaqui Indian Tribe related to the Carlos Castaneda books: ”The Yaqui way of knowledge”, “Separate Reality” and “Journey to Ixtlan”, and I was an advanced Spanish Teacher (summer) at Western Washington State College in Bellingham, Wa.

In 1977, I graduated from the School of Architecture in the University of Guadalajara, State of Jalisco, and México. One of the graduated requirements was to have 900 hours of social work in poor communities and to write a professional thesis. Because of both reasons, I was sent to the Yaqui Indian territory and the traditional 8 Yaqui River towns   in the State of Sonora, Cócorit, Bacum, Torim, Vicam, Potam, Rahum, Huirivis and Belem. Back in Guadalajara I wrote my thesis:

“The Problems and Solutions for the Yaqui Indians vernacular dwellings in the State of Sonora”. Among other things I designed the Yaqui territory and the Vicam Station urban planning and reconstructed one neoclassic style church in Vicam Pueblo, in the same site from 1600´s. I improved their vernacular homes because I did not wanted them to live in a small Mexican home. Politically, I integrated them in the first autonomous Indian county in Mexico in order for more democratically relationship between the Yaquis and the Mexican dominant culture, inclusive, with the American culture in Arizona.

With my thesis book, I returned to the University of Arizona to delivery a copy to Mr. Edward Spicer at his house in Tucson, because he advised and supervised  the historical data I used: “Your solutions are the only honest way for the Yaqui culture in Sonora”, he mentioned to me.

That year, I went to the University of Washington in Seattle to apply for a scholarship to study a master degree in urban planning and turned in a copy of my thesis to the assistant professor. The doors were closed in front of me because the political  concepts of Indian autonomy, the resolutions on regional planning and the administrative and social criticism to the establishment was, ”dangerous for the American Indians Reservation Status”.

Back to Mexico I opened a  small design firm,  in two years of hard work I became a successful architect designing and building residencies, homes and commercial buildings in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, as . Aside I painted watercolor and did photography for two to one man art shows.

In 1981, I moved to San Carlos, Sonora, a small American resident beach community in the Golf of California where first I worked as designer and supervisor in chief for an architect. One year later, I opened my firm and by 1987 became  to be a very well known and experienced architect among Americans; because my functional floor plans and the Sonoran Mission Colonial Style that I invented for facades , interiors and landscaping.

In 1987 because my doctor’s prescription, I had to give up my construction business due to a physically problem: cement, limb and construction dust allergy I developed and was making me very ill. In order to survive the shock, I kept my architectural design jobs but I enter in others fields: artistic photography and a watercolor painter in the magical realism art and a writer of  tourist guide on the Yaqui and Seri Indians. But it was not the same monetary talking.

1n 1991, I move to Cabo San Lucas, State of Baja California Sur to open a design office to get in the American market of :“the million dollars homes”, that  the California upper class and hotel chains were building on this resort. My surprise was that this market was controlled by Los Angeles and Mexico City’s architects and some natives that made everything impossible for the new comers not to get the jobs. Consequently, I only designed one three stars hotel in downtown Los Cabos.

As the expensive way of life in that beach resort, I put my profession aside and hired myself as a photo-journalist for three local newspapers. With this new activity, I introduced the artistic photography in the newspapers and had my own articles and 5 news a day. For three years I wrote about environment, art, architecture history and covered the social events for the “socialite ladies”. I Had several shows in art festivals because the income was not enough to pay expensive bills. During this fantastic job, I interviewed Mexican and American politicians, governors, majors and presidential campaigns . Even John Kennedy when he was in Los Cabos, he told me “I am just a tourist in Mexico”, when I tried to break his body guards wall.

I interviewed several Hollywood artists, Playboy Mag-´s Mates, Penthouse girls and covered fashion shows and great parties held  by the “ladies”. My strongest and favorite subject was the Gray whale, billfish sport fishing and  turtle protection.  An encounter with a gray whale and while looking at her beautiful black eye, I decided to take protection actions through my news and take a worldwide protection to all the cetaceans.

In 1994, due to the income was very low, I returned to Sonora to open  a design firm, but, this time with a new type of architecture I made up in Los Cabos in my spare time: “Bio-climate, more friendly with the environment and it’s protection with ISO 14,000  and Quality ISO 9000 standards  products in building.

I opened this architecture to a functional Baroque floor plans designed in Site and finished them in a Sonoran Colonial Style. The results; a beautiful and practical architecture that was ahead of it’s time and American and Mexican cultures. So my clients were dramatically reduced. As an ecologist, I formed the Whales, Billfishes, Dolphin Protective Society, Non governmental organization.

In 1997, I worked as an extra for the film: “The Mask of Zorro”. Playing  a scene from 1847´s Californian Indian and gold mine slave crying for justice, freedom and food to the Spanish governor. I worked with Antonio Banderas and the beautiful Catherine Zeta Jones (who stole my heart because her beauty) and Anthony Hopkins.

My decline as an architect started in two ways: One, when I turned over 45 years of age. The Second; my whales’ protection, the marine environment conservation and my articles on billfish over fishing made me to have many enemies and people did not like or agreed with my opinions and action in pro the environment. Consequently, my clients became fewer and fewer.

 AS a survivor, in order to get an income I kept my firm and started to sell watercolors to tourist and friends, give watercolors classes but it was not enough to make  a decent life.

In 2006, I am celebrating with some mescal shots my “29 years as an Architect”.  A life that I worked with passion and strong sensitivity for the art of architecture. I have made an style (the Sonora Colonial) and Baroque functional floor plans that has been reproduced by others in the construction business without respecting my authors rights. A type of architecture that few clients are willing to pay for a good design.

The September eleven affected my art business and put me the middle of two fanatics in San Carlos. With hard work I became one of the strongest ecologist and whales protector (Americans call me “The Whale Man”), I requested and obtained the Mexico’s Whale Sanctuary signed by President Vicente Fox on May,23, 2002.

But, the cruel reality is that I have not a capital in my 57 years of age, no retirement policy, no medical insurance, no a decent job and I am surviving in this global economy by selling  small watercolors to tourist and the future as an architect is un certain.  At this age, I feel myself in the best of my creativity and production to create beautiful, functional and colonial architecture but I am facing unemployment in spite of having a membership in the Mexican Institute of Architects, The Sonora-Arizona Commission and the ICOMOS- Mexicano, A.C.  An UNESCO International Committee for Monuments and sites that is protecting the world’s heritage and architecture.

There are other options for architects due to their education, formation, experience and skills,  but, the money is in the construction of the architecture.

Because my opinions and actions in pro the environment, whales and  conservation of the Sea of  Cortez (my only home) Mexicans and Americans of my community have boycotted my career and have denied me home designs to a certain degree that it’s hard for me. With their actions, they are attempting against my humans rights, my freedom of speech as an architect and as an ecologist. The rights that  a human being has to have for a better environment.

But, let me tell you that in spite of the negative ness of people. If I have a chance to be born again, I will choose the Architect Profession and the Whales Protection. I do not resent anything because it has been my decision and I take full responsibilities of my actions and decisions as architects must do firmly to comply with a good design.

Sincerely yours: 

Arch. Francisco Sánchez López

Escrito por arkisanchez el 07/10/2006 03:01 | Comentarios (0)