An 18-kilometre limestone wall for jaguars now encloses a protected forest on Mexico‘s Caribbean coast, and its builders left gaps for animals to pass through. Colectivo C733 designed the wall for Parque del Jaguar in Tulum, where roads, construction and tourism had cut jaguar routes into pieces.
The park sits on a coastal territory of tropical forest, mangroves, cenotes and underground rivers. Its limestone bedrock is karst, a landscape of dissolved rock that channels water underground. The ancient Maya site of Tulum lies within its boundaries.
A limestone wall for jaguars built from the site’s own stone
The studio used dry-stacked limestone quarried from the site itself, building the limestone wall for jaguars without mortar. Local crews call this type of boundary a tecorral. Its design draws on Mayan albarradas, traditional stone barriers, and on koot walls.
Because the stones stay loose, animals can move through the gaps while the wall still marks where the protected land begins, so the limestone wall for jaguars works as a boundary without blocking their routes. Colectivo C733 describes the structure as both a working boundary and a link to older land-management traditions.
The park’s land had already suffered. Contaminated soil surrounded a former military airstrip, and the Cancún-Tulum highway cut through jaguar habitat. The project set out to repair these damaged areas before adding anything new.
Like Parque del Jaguar, Sicily’s Bosco Colto shows how ecological regeneration can shape buildings around living systems. Read Interspecies Architecture at Sicily’s Bosco Colto Campus for another example of restoring damaged land.
Building on damaged ground
The project brought more than 300 hectares into protection, creating a continuous protected area of over 1,000 hectares. New public buildings and viewing platforms went on land that had already been altered. Large stretches of the territory were left undeveloped.
The architecture stays low and avoids drawing attention to itself. Structures use limestone, chicozapote timber, sascab (a soft, limestone-based material used as a binder) and palm thatch. Green roofs, shaded courtyards and natural ventilation reduce the need for air conditioning in the heat.
The central entrance building shows this approach clearly. Vertical wooden members, set close together, screen a timber-framed structure under a woven palm-thatch roof. Inside, visitors find a museum, a cafe, a shop, a multipurpose room, an open-air forum and a kitchen built for cooking over smoke.
Moving through the park without cars
Pedestrian paths, cycling routes and electric vehicles connect the park’s public facilities with its archaeological and ecological sites. The network aims to reduce dependence on private cars and spread visitors across the site instead of crowding them into one destination.
Visitors move through the landscape in stages. The routes pass shaded paths, observation towers, beaches and ecological stations. Access is more tightly controlled in sensitive areas, which limits disturbance to wildlife, including jaguars.
Elevated observation towers and a long suspended walkway cross the forest canopy. Along the way, visitors see the area’s geology, water systems and wildlife up close.
For another project that builds around wildlife, the marmot den installation on Monte Bianco combines architecture with education in a demanding alpine setting. Explore High-Altitude Marmot Den Installation on Monte Bianco to see how a structure can invite people to observe animals without disturbing them.
Colectivo C733 frames the park as an evolving structure rather than a fixed monument. In the studio’s words: “By designing how the territory is revealed, inhabited, and understood over time, Parque del Jaguar shifts architecture from a static intervention to an evolving framework that connects environment, culture, and collective awareness.”
Restoring the ground
Crews removed asphalt from the former airstrip to restore the soil and reconnect the habitat. The work also includes soil remediation, reforestation and the recovery of natural water systems.
Restoration extends to wetlands and mangroves, which help store and filter water. Together, these efforts treat the land as the primary part of the design, with buildings placed around it.
Planning a visit
Those figures may change, so check before travelling.
The main entrance is the central entrance building. Electric vehicles move visitors between stops inside the park.
A team of five and a growing portfolio
Colectivo C733 was founded in 2019 by Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio, José Amozurrutia, Eric Valdez and Israel Espín. The group works on public architecture and urban infrastructure across Mexico. Its projects include a square pedestrian pier over a lagoon in Bacalar and a brick music school with a cantilevered coconut wood roof in Nacajuca.
Parque del Jaguar stands out because it treats a wall, a road and a shoreline as parts of one system. The park shows how a building program can protect a forest while still letting jaguars move through it, with the limestone wall for jaguars as its clearest example.
Via dezeen.com
Frequently asked questions
What is the limestone wall at Parque del Jaguar built from?
The wall is built from dry-stacked limestone quarried from the site itself, without mortar. Local crews call this type of boundary a tecorral.
Why does the jaguar wall have gaps in it?
The gaps let animals, including jaguars, pass through the wall. The wall still marks where the protected land begins without blocking their routes.
How large is the protected area at Parque del Jaguar?
The project brought more than 300 hectares into protection. It created a continuous protected area of over 1,000 hectares.
How do visitors get around Parque del Jaguar without cars?
Pedestrian paths, cycling routes and electric vehicles connect the park’s public facilities with its archaeological and ecological sites. The network aims to reduce dependence on private cars.
More in
Architecture
All Architecture
