The title of this book pays homage to the barefoot architect by Johan Van Lengen, published in 1981. Its author, Carla Fernández travelled all over Mexico to see how local architecture responded to the climate in each region, using materials gathered from the surrounding countryside. This book is also inspired by the tradition of the barefoot doctors in the Peoples republic of China, which arose to address the need for providing basic healthcare and medical services to remote farming communities.

Preparation of handbooks must fall under the responsibility of creative people. As we have seen, this entails not only bringing this knowledge to those in the field, but building a bridge that enables us to interpret and reinvent rural trades. A handbook is just a starting point, as I believe the only way of preserving traditions is through innovation.- Carla Fernandez

Hard-cover book. 248 pages. All rights reserved © National Council on Culture and the Arts, Department of Publications.

Isbn 978-607-516-102-0