Roman Architecture

In numerous posts I have mentioned the Mexico City neighborhood of Roma.  It was once farmland on the outskirts of the city, and was developed in the late 19th and early 20th century as a place for well-to-do families wishing to escape the congestion of the central city.  Its streets were lined with elegant European-style buildings.  By the mid- 20th century it was no longer the fashionable place that it once was, and it declined even more the 1985 earthquake damaged many buildings.  In the last decade, the neighborhood has seen a revival with fine restaurants and art galleries sprouting everywhere.

On one of my long walks I passed through Roma once again, and here is a selection of photos that I took of the many fine, old buildings which still stand in the neighborhood.

I passed through the pleasant Plaza de Rio de Janeiro with its replica of Michelangelo's David. 

I remembered that I had read about one of the buildings facing the plaza and I sought it out to take a picture.  This large apartment house built in 1908 is officially known as the Rio de Janeiro Building.  However, it is commonly referred to as "La Casa de las Brujas" (The House of the Witches).

According to one story, the building received its name because it was the home of a female shaman whose patients included many prominent politicians.  According to some of the residents the building is haunted.

A more mundane story is that the building got its name because the corner tower looks like the face of a witch wearing her pointed hat.

(image from the web)