Spiral Stairwell with Wrought-Iron Railings, Mexico City Hotel

This stairwell belongs to an early 20th-century hotel building in Mexico City, a period when terrazzo and wrought iron were common finishes in the city's grander interiors. Terrazzo — a composite of marble or granite chips set in cement or resin — was prized for its durability and low cost compared to solid stone, making it a frequent choice for stairs and floors in commercial buildings of that era. Wrought-iron railings with scrollwork patterns, like those seen in many Porfirian and early post-rary structures, were typically fabricated by local metalworkers rather than imported. Geometric tilework on stairwell ceilings and walls was a common decorative device in Mexico City buildings from the 1900s–1930s, often echoing Moorish or Art Nouveau influences popular in the capital at the time.

Photo taken in April 2018.