Casa Mataiza has been lovingly designed and constructed by a father-son team of builder-architect, to artfully combine modern coastal design with the very highest quality of construction and finishing details. Alejandro Quintanilla Macias was trained as an architect, but preferred to focus on construction, building a reputation as one of Mexico’s finest builders of premier-quality residences through his company Constructora Vaeso, founded in 1977. Quintanilla has worked with the most respected architects in Mexico, and is responsible for the construction of numerous homes in Punta Mita. For Casa Mataiza, he collaborated with his son, Alejandro Quintanilla Orvañanos, who is both a graduate of, and an invited professor at the Max Cetto Workshop at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). This is the initial project of this father-and-son partnership as developers.

The Quintanilla family has a long history of creating residential “art”. Alejandro senior’s grandfather was an architect, and he fondly recalls visiting project sites with him and watching, fascinated, as the homes took shape. He will tell you he has been involved in construction for his entire life, starting with blocks, moving on to building forts, and then graduating into his profession. “It seems I have always been creating “my house”.

After graduating college with a degree in architecture, Alejandro went on to work with some of Mexico’s most renowned masters in architectural design. Where he says he has learned much from them, he also offers that he has been an influence to them as well, with regard to quality in materials and in construction principles and practices. Comparing the creation of a home to a work of art, Alejandro senior says, “A builder is like a sculptor, where an architect is like a founder.” A builder, he says, is the one who interprets the vision of the architect.

It was when he was working with Diego Villaseñor in the oceanside community of Careyos that he became enchanted with the style now known as Pacific Coastal Architecture—defined by sensuous profiles, a blurring between indoor and outdoor spaces, and a harmonious blending into landscapes and seascapes. From that point on, he focused exclusively on larger, luxury homes on the coast, and gave up all other projects. Throughout his career Alejandro has been singularly focused on the very highest quality—not only in his work projects but also in all aspects of his life.

Alejandro has worked on a number of residences within Punta Mita, and is strongly connected to the community, reveling in its standard-setting level of quality in all aspects of the development. Here, he has worked again with Diego Villaseñor, as well as Jose “Pepe” Vigil, and Alfonso López Baz. And now, he has been honored to work with his son, on the creation of Casa Mataiza.

Kupuri immediately struck the Quintanillas as the ideal place upon which to locate this personal project. Father and son walked each and every lot, and even camped on the lots. It soon became instinctive to them that Lot #4 was their lot, due to the feelings it inspired in them. And in the end, they say, “It asked what to be built on it”.

The younger Alejandro also knew his calling immediately, and was always focused on becoming an architect—as if creating homes was in his genes—and graduated with a degree in architecture. He has gone on to also teach as an invited professor at his alma mater, and to work as Director of Design in his father’s firm.

And so father and son became colleagues and collaborators on Casa Mataiza—blending experience with fresh vision. Their objective was to transcend the creation of merely “a house”—or even a “nice house”, but to create a residence that reflected the space, respected the land, showcased the ocean, and honored the spirit of Mexico itself. They accomplished all of this while adhering to the design guidelines of Punta Mita and the international quality standards of a discerning client.

At the entry, one first encounters the plaza, in the style of a traditional Mexican Hacienda. However, this residence is anything but traditional—it is a modern masterpiece, a contemporary work of art. Yet still, it succeeds in incorporating the magic of Mexico within it—its openness, style, respect for the natural and passion for color.

When you first walk into Casa Mataiza you are welcomed by the sight of a Mataiza tree, for which the home was named. It is a tree indigenous to the area.

Turn the corner and you have the perspective of water—the combined elements of the reflecting pond, the cascading water wall, and—naturally—the spectacular view of the ocean.

At the center of the Residence are three walls that rise from the earth, and the home is arranged around them.

The Quintallinas will tell you that this central area is designed to feel like a refuge, where the walls provide a feeling of protectiveness, and the water elements provide a soothing, calming, and restorative ambiance. “At night, turn off all of the lights, and the pools reflect the stars—they illuminates the home on their own.”

The home is positioned where the pool receives sun throughout the day—the residence never shades the pool.

The colors of the residence are all earth-toned, and blend effortlessly into the landscape.

Sliding glass floor-to-ceiling doors vanish into walls, and creating a seamless transition of inside and outside.

The Quintanillas will tell you that Casa Mataiza simply cannot exist in any other location—it was created for this particular site, and for this exact location. They studied the land by day and by night to adapt the home design to the light, the landscape, the breezes and the views of this site. It is not only a custom design but a singular home.