Coyoacán has beautiful places, and there are several projects that sometimes do not resonate outside its tree-lined walls. There are small and secret parks, literary corners and sound gardens; all with a calmer and greener temper than anywhere else in the capital. On Francisco Sosa (perhaps the most aesthetic street in the city) a simple and generous space recently opened that promises long afternoons of lying down to look at the trees: La Mano Jardín Cultural.
Jessica Rodarte and Gabino Flores are at the helm of the project, and in the city's cultural world they are not newcomers. Before La Mano they managed Bandini, and for a time, Jessica directed the Centro de Artes Vivas. After a small pilgrimage, in a fortunate encounter they stumbled upon the house and the huge patio that now house La Mano. Jessica is from Coyoacán and in the end it was cyclical to return to the neighborhood where she is from; to activate a fresh idea in the south of the city.
The house belonged to the farm that occupied almost the entire block; that part in particular had the stables, which explains why there is more garden than building. A friendly and leafy one -happily disheveled- where if you raise your head you can see pure green and some specks of jacaranda. Throughout the garden there are tables, umbrellas and small chairs. Plenty of space to look at the sky and fill yourself with air.
Since everything is so new, the programming is just beginning to settle in. For now they have meditation events every Sunday at noon and soon they will have a cinema club on Wednesdays; a sustainable market and the Clothes for All bazaar that brings together several brands of second-hand and vintage clothing.
Inside the house is the cafeteria with its tiny menu ( Pancracia bread, quiche, beet pizzetas, brownies, cookies, smothies...) racks with elegant and special clothes, selection of Laura Palmer and Merma Negra; a showcase of rare objects and handicrafts; a bookcase full of independent and careful publishers. Everything is from local projects and initiatives that, like La Mano, started slowly, with little, until they became part of the cultural landscape of the city. There are books by Fauna, Antílope or Imaginaria, for example.
Jessica says she likes to name the brands and people who work with them; to let you know that La Mano is a receptacle for initiatives and collaborations. In the 500 square meters of the space -between construction and emerald gardens-there is plenty of room for more ideas. The idea of a generous space is precisely that, that people enjoy it and join their projects to activate it. This is also why the space is available for rent for events or workshops.
Outside the circuit of the obvious, Coyoacán has places as special as La Mano Jardín Cultural. Here you can have a coffee, taste their ginger tea, read a good book and spend hours looking straight through the treetops.
*To keep up to date with La Mano's events, here are their Facebook and Instagram.
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